The Best Girl
by KissMeCate
Summary: Jessica James and her family have lived next-door to the Taylor’s for almost her entire life. She and Randy Taylor have been best friends since they were three-years-old, but is there a point when the two realize they should be more than friends? Randy/OC
1. intro

**The Best Girl.**

**INTRO.**

**13 YEARS AGO.**

**Jill Taylor was outside, watching her two sons, 4-year-old Brad, and 3-year-old Randy, play in the front yard, when she suddenly spotted a moving truck, pulling into the house beside them. **

"**Mommy, look at the truck!" Brad exclaimed running over to his mother, with Randy close behind. **

"**Yeah, Brad, it's a big truck, huh, honey?" Jill smiled slightly, and looked over at the house, "I think we might be getting some new neighbors. Maybe they'll have some kids for you and Randy to play with!"**

**Randy wasn't talking very much yet, so he just nodded, with his thumb resting in his mouth.**

"**Come on, boys, let's clean up a little bit before we go over to meet our new neighbors!" Jill led the boys inside and made them both wash their faces and hands and brush their teeth before they made their way over to the house. **

**Jill knocked on the door, and faintly heard a girl wailing from the inside, "Mommy! Nick pushed me!"**

"**Oh, honey, come here," The door was pulled open and a tall woman, with black hair and blue eyes smiled, "Hi, there,"**

"**Hi, I'm Jill Taylor, I live next-door and I just thought I should introduce myself to you, and welcome you to the neighborhood."**

**The woman smiled brightly, "I'm Veronica James, and thank you very much, it'll be nice to know somebody." She looked at Mark and Randy, "And who are these two?"**

"**These are my sons, Brad," She patted Brad's head, "And Randy. Can you two say hi?"**

**Brad mumbled hi, and Randy just looked at her with big blue eyes.**

"**If you just hold on a sec, you can meet the kids… GUYS! Come down here for a second!"**

**Two dark haired boys came running down the stairs, followed by a girl with curly dark hair, who was dressed similarly to her brother, with jeans and a loose t-shirt.**

"**These are my kids, Jack, Nick, and Jessica. Kids, this is Mrs. Taylor, she lives next-door to us, and these are her sons, Brad and Randy." Veronica introduced.**

**Jack, who seemed to be the oldest, nodded at them, while Nick waved, and Jessica just looked shy.**

"**Jack, why don't you and your siblings take Brad and Randy out to the back yard to play?" Veronica suggested.**

**Jack nodded, and Brad said, "Can we, Mom?"**

"**Sure thing, honey, go have some fun." Jill nodded, smiling. The kids took off for the back yard, and Veronica said, "Would you like to have a cup of tea? I'm afraid that's about all we have."**

"**A cup of tea sounds nice, thank you." Jill nodded smiling.**

**Outside, Jack, Nick and Brad were starting a game of soccer, and they had decided to leave the two younger kids out. **

"**I'm Randy. What's your name?" Randy said, not removing his thumb from his mouth, as he sat next to Jessica.**

"**Jessica." Jessica replied, looking at Randy with big brown eyes, "Wanna be friends?"**

**Randy nodded, "You don't have cooties do you?"**

**Jessica shook her head, "Uh-huh."**

"**Then we're friends."**

**

* * *

**

**12 YEARS AGO.**

**About a month after Randy's brother Mark had been born, it was Jessica's fourth birthday.**

"**Hey, dude." Brad greeted as he and Randy entered Jessica's house, "Happy birthday."**

"**Yeah, happy birthday, Jessie." Randy nodded in agreement, before looking at her strangely, "What are you wearing?"**

**Jessica didn't look very happy, as she was wearing a pink, somewhat frilly, dress. "My mommy wanted me to dress **_**pretty**_** for my birthday party."**

"**You look very pretty, Jess." Jill said, leaning down and hugging her with her one arm, "Happy birthday, honey."**

"**Thanks, Mrs. Taylor."**

**Jill, Brad and the new baby Mark went into the kitchen where Veronica was, and Randy handed Jessica a bag, "Here's your present."**

"**Thanks, Randy," **

"**Open it," Randy urged. He had stopped sucking his thumb, and was much more talkative now.**

**Jessica nodded, and pushed away the tissue paper until she found the present. She pulled out a small, pink, stuffed pig, "Thanks." She nodded at him, smiling slightly.**

"**You like it?" Randy checked.**

**Jessica nodded, "Yeah, it's really awesome! What are we going to name him?"**

"**Well, it's **_**your**_** pig, Jessie, you can name him whatever you want." Randy informed her.**

"**Well, **_**you're**_** my best friend, and you gave it to me, so I think we should name him together." Jessica said.**

"**Okay… well, how about Bailey?" Randy suggested the first name that came to mind.**

**Jessica smiled, "Bailey sounds just right, dude." **

"**Did you really mean it?" Randy said a few moments later.**

"**Mean what?" Jessica looked at him blankly, carrying Bailey under her arm. **

"**That I'm your best friend?"**

"**Well, you **_**are**_**."**

"**Oh." Randy nodded and then said, "You're my best friend too."**

"**That's good, doofus, but I already knew that." Jessica said, sticking out her tongue at him.**

**Randy laughed and said, "I'll race you to the kitchen."**

"**You're on."**

**

* * *

**

**5 YEARS AGO.**

**Jess' parents had been having problems for years, and it had become so bad that Jess was spending more time at Randy's house than her own. **

**One night though, Randy looked out his bedroom window and saw Jess sitting on the swing set in her back yard. He raced down the stairs as quietly as he could, because everybody else was already in bed.**

"**Hey," He greeted her casually.**

"**Hey." She didn't look up at him.**

"**What are you doing outside?"**

"**Escaping." She scraped her Chuck Taylor's in the dirt.**

"**Are your parents fighting again?" Randy asked.**

"**Nah." Jess shook her head, her dark hair swaying in its ponytail as she did.**

**Randy sat next to her and realized that she was crying. This made Randy more than a little concerned, as he'd only seen her cry twice before, once when her father had announced he was going overseas for six months, and again when she had to have her tonsils taken out when they were six. **

"**What's wrong, Jess?"**

**Jess sniffled before saying, "My parents are getting a divorce, Randy."**

"**Oh, Jess." Randy rested an arm around his best friend's shoulders and sat with her, until she stopped crying, when he dragged her into his house and made her sleep over, like she had so many times before.**

* * *

**So that was just an intro, to show everybody what Jess is like, and a little bit of a history on her and Randy's friendship. So, please read and review, and I'll try to have the next chapter up soon (:**


	2. ONE

**CHAPTER ONE.**

**PRESENT DAY.**

"God, Randy, you are so stupid sometimes." 15-year-old Jess James said, shaking her head as she and her best friend, Randy Taylor, sat in his kitchen.

"_I'm_ the stupid one?" Randy raised his eyebrows, his blue eyes glittering the fluorescent lights, "_You_ are the one who tried to pierce her own ears when we were thirteen, but _I_ am the stupid one?"

"May I remind you that _you_ were the one who told me I should try pierce my own ears with a needle?" Jess said, looking at him with a faint smile, "_You _were the one who was all 'Oh, Jessie, I'm sure you can't get sick or die from piercing your own ears with a sewing needle!'."

"But _you_ were the one who listened to me." Randy pointed out.

Jess shook her head, "_You_ were the one who gave me the idea in the first place, _you_ were also the one who told your little brother that he'd get traded in because he broke your dad's wrench when we were nine, and _you_ were the one who took that stupid dare and drove your brand new bike off that five-foot jump, and then _lied_ to your parents about it, and _you_, my friend, were the one who told Jason Morgan that if he ever talks to me again you'll "break" him." She rested her head on her hands, "So, tell me, Randall Taylor, which one of us is the stupid one?"

"Ha-ha-ha." Randy said sarcastically, "Well, excuse me, for coming to my best friend's rescue in her time of need."

"Randy, I wasn't exactly dying, you know." Jess said as she took a sip from her soda.

"Well, sor-ree, Jessica, I wasn't aware you _wanted_ that goon talking to you." Randy said, rolling his eyes.

"I didn't say I wanted that goon talking to me." Jess stated.

"What goon?" Randy's 17-year-old brother, Brad, asked, coming into the kitchen with his eyebrows raised.

"Jason Morgan." Randy replied.

"Ugh, why are you guys talking about him?" Brad looked confused.

"He wants to take Jess out on a date." Randy said, as Jess elbowed him.

"That guy's sleaze, Jess, you do _not_ want to date him." Brad said seriously.

"I wasn't planning on dating him," Jess said, tapping her jagged, chewed nails on the counter, "But I don't think he's going to give up too easily."

"He's gonna back off." Randy said.

"Oh, because you had him _shaking_ in his size 14 Nike shoes." Jessica said, rolling her eyes.

"What'd you say?" Brad asked, looking at his younger brother.

"I told him to back off from Jess or…" Randy let his voice trail off,

"Or what?" Brad prompted.

"Or he'd _break_ him." Jess responded, shaking her head.

Brad scoffed, and Randy glared at them both, "It's nice to know you're both so supportive."

"Sorry, Randy." Brad coughed to cover up a snicker, and then he said, "Want me to talk some sense into him, Jess?"

Jess looked at Randy, who was a good foot and a half taller than she was by now, and he had become like another older brother to her, over-protectiveness and all.

"You'd probably be a _tad_ more effective than Randy," Jess said nodding.

Randy looked offended, and said, "Jessica, remind me not to stand up for you again."

"Randy, don't get like that," Jess said, shaking her head, "Really, I appreciate you standing up for me."

"Even if you only come up to Jason Morgan's elbows." Brad laughed.

Jess hid her small smile by covering her mouth with her hand, as Randy glared at Brad, "I do _not_ come up to his elbows, and he _was_ intimidated by me."

"Uh-huh," Jess and Brad said in unison.

Brad was still grinning slightly, and he said, "Listen, Jess, if I see him tomorrow, I'll talk to him, okay?"

"Well, thanks, Brad, but has it ever occurred to you guys that I _might_ be able to handle myself?" Jess raised her eyebrows expectantly.

Brad and Randy both scoffed, and Randy said, "_Su-u-ure_ you can, Jessie."

"I can!" Jess looked indignant.

"We believe you, Jess." But she could tell from the tone of Brad's voice he didn't.

Jess frowned deeply, and Randy said, "Come on, Jessie, don't be like that. We know you're a tough guy, all right? We know you could take Jason Morgan."

"Jason Morgan?" The youngest of the three Taylor boys, 13-year-old Mark, repeated as he entered the kitchen, "I _hate_ that guy."

"Join the club." Randy, Brad and Jess said in unison, before Mark came into clear view, showing a swollen bottom lip.

"Mark, what happened?" Jess asked, looking concerned.

"Jason Morgan happened." Mark sighed.

"At least tell us that you hit him back." Randy said, receiving Jess' left elbow in his ribs, as well as a nasty glare from her.

"Why did Jason Morgan _hit_ you? You don't even go to school with him." Jess remarked, as Randy massaged his ribs.

"He ran into me… no, wait, _I_ ran into _him_, and he… just felt like it." Mark sighed again.

"Great, now I have _two_ reasons to hit this guy!" Brad sounded more excited than he probably should've about his impending fight.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, nobody's going to be hitting _anybody_!" The boys' mother, Jill Taylor, exclaimed as she entered the kitchen, and then she spotted her youngest son, "_Mark!_ What happened to your lip?!"

"The guy I'm going to hit happened to his lip." Brad replied.

"Don't respond to violence with violence." Jill advised.

"Can we respond to comments he makes about Jess when she isn't around with violence?" Randy asked.

"_Comments_? What comments?" Jess snapped her brown eyes onto her best friend, "You never mentioned anything about him making _comments_, Randy!"

He cringed, "Yeah, well, uh, that kind of, um… slipped my mind?"

"_What_ does Jason Morgan say about me when I'm not around?"

"Wait a second, Jason Morgan? The half-back from the football team?" Jill looked at the four kids for confirmation, and when they nodded, she said, "Oh, that boy's mother is _vile_. Wait a minute, did he _hit_ you, Mark?"

"Yeah, Mom," Mark nodded, "But it's no big deal."

"Sweetie, this is the definition of a big deal." Jill said.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Mrs. Taylor, you'll have the definition of a very _huge_ deal, right here, in your very own kitchen, if Randy doesn't tell me _exactly_ what Jason Morgan says about me." Jess said, smiling, as she looked at Randy seriously.

"It's _nothing_, Jess." Randy said, looking a little bit nervous, "He… he just says you're _really_ in shape."

Jess raised her eyebrows, "Really?"

"Sort of."

"I said _exactly_, Randy." Jess said, blinking.

"He _may_ have mentioned the phrase "nice rack" once or twice," Randy said, bracing himself to get hit.

Jess' eyes widened, and she looked as though she was going to throw up, "Seriously?"

"I think he was over-exaggerating." Randy said, patting her shoulder.

"So you don't think I'm in shape?" Jess raised her eyebrows.

"Well, uh," Randy started stumbling over his words and Brad clapped his younger brother on the back, "Quit while you're ahead, Randy… and Jessie, I happen to think you're very in shape."

Jess rolled her eyes, and Mark said, "Brad, if you're going to hit Jason… I think Jessie and I both agree that you should aim for the face."

"You are _not_ going to hit him, Bradley." Jill said seriously, "Mark, if he hits you again, you talk to me, and I will call that _vile_ woman he calls his mother, and Jessica, sweetie… stay as far away from him as you possibly can."

"Thanks, Mrs. Taylor." Jess smiled weakly as Jill walked out of the kitchen. Once she was out of earshot, Randy said, "You're still going to hit him, aren't you?"

Brad nodded, "Oh, yeah."

* * *

The next day found Jess and Randy sitting outside at lunch, with Jess working on her math homework, and Randy telling her of the latest drama in the Taylor household.

"So, my mom walked into Brad's room and found him with Angela… on the bed." Randy said, shaking his head.

"How much trouble is he in?" Jess asked, looking up from her homework.

"A _lot_," Randy nodded, "Enough for my mom to call my dad while he was out on an aircraft carrier."

"Ooh, _nice_." Jess nodded, "How long is he grounded for?"

"Until further notice," Randy chuckled, "So, I guess he won't be going to Nick's party on Friday."

"What a shame," Jess said sarcastically, "Like we were going to be there anyways."

"We aren't?" Randy raised his eyebrows.

"Um, _no_." Jess looked at him strangely. "Why would we go? It's just going to be my brothers and their dumb jock friends. Not really my scene, I don't know about _you_, though."

"Nah, not really." Randy shook his head, "So if we aren't going to Nick's party, what _are_ we doing this Friday?"

Jess looked thoughtful, before responding, "Well, we _could_ work on our scene from _Romeo and Juliet_, along with our dialogue to share our opinion on the characters, so it'll be done."

Randy shook his head as he looked at her, "You party animal, you."

Jess rolled her eyes and nudged him with her shoulder. "Come on, Randy, we might actually be able to get this project done a week before, unlike our Bonnie and Clyde project for history, which was finished, when?"

"A day before." Randy felt slightly guilty for this.

He and Jess had been in each other's class every year since they started school, and now that they were in high school they had strangely chosen all the same courses (by accident), and had every single class together.

And in every single class, whenever there was a project, they were _always_ together. But Jess had a great work ethic, wanting to get it done in advance, where as Randy liked to procrastinate.

"So, my mom wants to make our costumes for our _Romeo and Juliet_ reenactment." Randy said, "If you come over on Friday, I bet she'll be able to work on your outfit… while we work on our project."

Jess smiled, "Sounds like a plan, I'll be there."

**

**There you guys go, the first real chapter. (: Thank you so much Baxxie, HomeImprovementLover, and Randy Taylor for your reviews, they made my day! I hope everybody enjoys this chapter, please read and review. (:**


	3. TWO

**CHAPTER TWO**.

Jess and Randy were walking to their Spanish class when the blonde haired Lauren Weiss stopped them… or rather, stopped Randy.

"Hey, Randy." She smiled at him.

"Oh, hey, Lauren." Randy greeted, smiling at her in a friendly way, "You know Jess, right?"

Lauren evaluated Jess' scuffed Chuck Taylor's, ripped jeans, and black Aerosmith t-shirt, which was over a long-sleeved white shirt. Her cool dark eyes looked at Jess' long dark hair, which was in a ponytail, and she responded, almost a full minute later, "No. I don't think I do."

"I was positive you guys met at my birthday last year," Randy looked mystified.

"Oh-h, _right_, Jessica." Lauren nodded, "The girl who won the arm-wrestling competition."

Jess forced a smile, "That's me," She didn't like Lauren, she never had, and she never would. No matter how much she tried to, she just did _not_ like her, and she did _not_ get a good vibe from that girl.

Randy would normally pick up on one of Jess' phony smiles right away, but apparently he was being distracted by something else.

"So, what's up, Lauren?" Randy asked, focusing his gaze on the blonde.

"Oh, well, remember how we were writing that article on the ballet club together?" Lauren went back to ignoring the fact that Jess existed.

"Yeah, of course," Randy nodded.

"Well, Ms. Wiseman was talking about assignments for this week, and I was thinking maybe we could work together again."

The newspaper was one of the few things that Jess and Randy didn't participate in together, mainly because Jess had no interest whatsoever in reporting whether the pork stew that the cafeteria served was made of tofu or not.

And Jess didn't mind that Randy pursued it without her, in fact, she thought it was healthy that they had something that they did separately. She also thought he would be a great reporter, and the fact that it made him happy was definitely an upside… but then there was _Lauren_.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Randy nodded, "Just let me know when you want to get together."

"Oh, don't worry." Lauren squeezed his arm, "I will. See you around, Randy… bye, Jessica."

"See you, Lauren." Randy then looked at Jess, who was giving him a strange look, "What?"

"What, what?" Jess looked away from him.

"What was that look?" Randy raised his eyebrows.

"What look?" Jess looked at him innocently.

"You know, that whole thing where you answer all my questions with "what-insert-object-here", when you're trying to distract me? Yeah, it was cute at first, but after 13 years, it's getting a little bit _old_." Randy smiled slightly, "What's bothering you, Jessie?"

"Nothing's bothering me," Jess replied, "Seriously, Randy, I'm _fine_."

"My dad says that when a sort of girl person says they're fine, it means they're not." Randy informed her as they sat down in their seats in the Spanish classroom.

"Randy, your dad is, like… more of a father to me than my dad will _ever_ be, and I adore him, but are you _really_ going to start taking advice from him on—" Jess suddenly looked slightly annoyed, "A _sort of_ girl person?"

Randy chuckled, "You have a point there, Jess."

"I do, do I?" Jess raised her eyebrows at him expectantly.

"Yeah," Randy nodded, "I definitely shouldn't start taking advice on girls from my dad."

Jess shook her head, sighing. Some things would never change with Randy.

* * *

After school, Jess' older brother, Nick, caught up to Jess and Randy. Nick was a good 6 feet tall at age 17, and he had the same curly dark hair that Jess had (though Jess' was always constricted by her elastic band). And just as Jess had become Randy's best friend, Nick had become Brad's.

Both Nick and Brad played on the school's soccer team, and they had practice almost every day after school, which explained why Nick was wearing his uniform.

"Hey, guys," Nick nodded at them.

"Hey, Nick," Randy and Jess said together, and Jess said, "Why aren't you at practice?"

"Well, I was on my way, but I figured I should find you guys first," Nick replied.

Randy looked at Nick, "Is something wrong, Nick?"

"Well, yeah." Nick nodded, "Brad's in the nurses office,"

"What? _Why_?" Jess raised her eyebrows.

"While we were on our way to practice, we walked past that half-back from the football team… Jason Morgan? Anyway, I didn't catch what he said, but Brad did, and—"

"Oh, no," Jess muttered, shaking her head.

"Brad hit him." Nick finished, looking at the younger kids.

"So, wait, if Brad hit Jason, then _why_ is Brad in the nurses office?" Randy asked, looking confused.

"Well, Jason Morgan is a pretty big guy, and you can't really expect him to just stand by after Brad hit him," Nick explained.

"Did Jason hit him _back_?" Jess asked, getting impatient. Nick had always had the bad habit of making stories incredibly long-winded when it wasn't exactly necessary.

Nick nodded, looking grim, "Yeah, actually… a couple of times."

"Is he okay?" Jess asked.

"I _think_ so," Nick nodded, "I didn't get to talk to him much before Angela rushed him off to the nurses office."

"As long as he's not dead," Randy shrugged, and was about to walk towards the door when Jess elbowed him.

"Randy."

"What? Jess, he's still _breathing_—"

"_Randy_." Jess looked at him, "He's your older brother, your _only_ older brother, and he got beat up defending _me_."

"Fine, let's go check on him," Randy sighed.

"Wait a sec," Nick stopped them, "Why was Brad defending you, and what has that got to do with Jason Morgan, Jess?"

"Um, no reason." Jess said hastily, mentally cursing herself.

Being the youngest, and the only girl in her family, Nick and Jack were more than a little bit over-protective of her, and if Nick caught wind of the whole "Jason-Morgan-saying-she-had-a-nice-rack"… it was very possible that Nick would either be expelled or in prison.

"Come on, let's go check on Brad." Randy said, sensing the fact that if he didn't change the subject, Nick wouldn't be letting Jess' loose response go very easily.

"You guys go ahead, I've gotta get to practice, but I'll see you guys when I get home," Nick jogged off down the hallway, and Jess said, "Let's go,"

"Then we can go home?" Randy asked, looking at her.

"_Yes_, then we can go home," Jess rolled her eyes as she dragged him down the hallway.

When they walked into the nurses office, they found Brad, holding an ice pack to the side of his face.

"Brad! Are you okay?" Jess asked.

"Yeah, I'll live," Brad nodded. There was a bruise forming under his left eye, and his nose was tinged red from an apparent nosebleed that had stopped.

"Where did you hit him?" Randy asked, crossing his arms over his chest, and looking at him expectantly.

Brad cracked a grin, "Right in his stupid face."

"Awesome!" Randy grinned.

"It is most certainly _not_ awesome!" Jill was suddenly in the nurses office, and _man_, did she look mad. "Bradley Michael Taylor! What did I say to you about hitting that boy?"

Brad suddenly looked nervous, "Um… not to do it?"

"But you did it anyways, of course!" Jill took a short intake of breath, "_Why?_ Why do you boys _never_ listen when I tell you not to do something? He hit your little brother _yesterday_—"

"Yeah, Mom, but he was mouthing off about Jess _today_," Brad said defensively.

Jill didn't quite know what to say to this. Over the last 13 years, the Taylor's and the James kids had become family. Jill thought of Jess as the daughter she'd never had, and she knew that Jason Morgan was bad news, so she couldn't really blame her oldest son for defending Jess…

"Just don't let it happen again, okay?" Jill gave him a look to let him know she meant business.

"Deal."

"Okay, come on, you three, I'll drive you home."

* * *

**Sorry this one's kind of short, I promise the next one will be longer. But now you kind of have an idea about what's going on, and what might possibly happen in the future (: Thank you so much to Home Improvement Lover, and Randy Taylor for their reviews! Please read and review, and I'll try to update soon! (:**


	4. THREE

**I'm so sorry it's been so long guys! I've had a lot going on, with exams, and a lot of homework. But this past week I've been on Spring Break, so I've had some time to get a LOT of writing done, so here, finally, is an update! I OBVIOUSLY don't own the excerpt from _Romeo and Juliet_, that's in this chapter. It belongs to William Shakespeare (:**

**Thank you SO much for your reviews, please keep it up!**

**

* * *

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**CHAPTER THREE.**

Right after school on Friday, Randy brought Jess home, so that Jill could start working on Jess' dress, which would mean that Randy and Jess could finish their project faster, and then they could get to what they did every other Friday night: watching movies until one of them fell asleep.

"Okay, Jessica, I have a few ideas of how to do your dress, but I want your input before I start it." Jill said to Jess, who was sitting alongside Randy in the kitchen.

"How about _not_ a dress?" Jess said, grinning slightly. Things had not changed much since she was four-years-old in the way that she couldn't stand wearing dresses, or dressing up.

"Well, sweetie, I would tell you that you could be Romeo, and Randy could be Juliet, but I don't think your teacher would be very impressed." Jill said.

"That, and Randy totally doesn't have the legs to pull off a dress," Jess said, her grin growing.

Randy mocked laughter and then said, "Don't worry, Jess, I'm sure my mom can make it so that your chicken legs don't look so… chicken-y."

Jess elbowed him, and Jill said, "Randy, don't say that, Jessica doesn't have chicken legs."

"And I'm sure Jason Morgan would agree with you, Mom." Randy nodded, receiving another nudge from Jessica's elbow to his ribs.

Jill narrowed her eyes at Randy, and in an attempt to change the subject said, "So, I was thinking I would make it a similar approach to the dress that the real Juliet would've worn… sound good?"

Jess made a movement that was a cross between a nod and a shrug. "As long as it isn't pink, you can go to town, Mrs. Taylor."

"Well, how about green? I think green would like nice."

"Sure." Jess nodded.

"I thought you'd like that," Jill smiled, "So I already bought the material, I just need to start taking your measurements."

"Okay," Jess stood up and walked around the counter so that she was standing beside Jill, who pulled out a measuring tape and began taking Jess' measurements.

"So, what scene are you two performing?" Jill asked.

"The balcony scene," Jess and Randy responded together.

"Oh, that is the _sweetest _scene in that entire play!" Jill exclaimed, "Are you guys ready?"

"Sort of?" Randy offered as a reply.

Jess rolled her eyes, and Jill raised an eyebrow, "And by sort of, you mean…?"

"Randy's looked over it once," Jess responded for him.

"Not _once_," Randy said, looking offended, "More like twice."

"Oh, God, sorry about that one." Jess said sarcastically.

"Well, why don't you two practice for me?" Jill looked at them expectantly.

Randy looked at Jess, who shrugged, so he grabbed his battered copy of _Romeo and Juliet_, cleared his throat, and began.

"_But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?_

_It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!_

_Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,_

_Who is already sick and pale with grief,_

_That thou her maid art far more fair than she,_

_Be not her maid, since she is envious;_

_Her vestal livery is but sick and green,_

_And none but fools do wear it; cast it off._

_It is my lady; O, it is my love!_

_O, that she knew she were!_

_She speaks, yet she says nothing: what of that?_

_Her eye discourses, I will answer it._

_I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks,_

_Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,_

_Having some business, do intreat her eyes_

_To twinkle in their spheres till they return._

_What if her eyes were they, they in her head?_

_The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,_

_As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven_

_Would through the airy region stream so bright_

_That birds would sing and think it were not night._

_See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!_

_O, that I were a glove upon that hand,_

_That I might touch that cheek!"_

Randy looked at Jess who sighed dramatically, and said but two words, "_Ay me!"_

"_She speaks:_

_O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art_

_As glorious to this night, being o'er my head,_

_As is a winged messenger of heaven_

_Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes_

_Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him,_

_When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds_

_And sails upon the bosom of the air."_

Randy passed Jess the book, as Jill watched them, and Jess began.

"_O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?_

_Deny thy father and refuse thy name;_

_Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,_

_And I'll no longer be a Capulet."_

Randy grinned slightly. It was so strange for him to hear his best friend speaking so properly, but he continued on with his lines, "_Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?"_

Jess opened her mouth to continue when the phone suddenly rang. Randy walked over and picked it up, "Hello?"

"_Hi, Randy? It's Lauren._"

"Oh, hey, Lauren!"

"_So, remember how the other day you asked me to let you know when would be a good time for us to work together on that article?_"

"Yeah."

"_Well, how does tonight sound?_"

"Um, tonight? I don't know, Lauren, I mean… I've kind of got plans already."

"_Oh. Well, this is the only night I'm free for awhile…_"

"Really? Well, one second." Randy covered the phone and said, "Lauren wants to work on our article together tonight… it's the only night she's free for awhile…"

Jill made a vague motion with her head, and Randy looked at Jess, who shrugged, "We can work on our project later,"

"Thanks, Jess." Randy grinned at her, "Hey, Lauren, where do you want to meet up?"

* * *

After Randy left to meet up with Lauren, Jess stayed at the Taylor's for Jill to finish working on her dress.

Jess was standing up in the middle of the kitchen, as Jill pinned the dark green fabric exactly where she was going to sew it, and Jill said, "So, how have you been lately, Jessica?"

"I've been okay, I guess," Jess responded. "With Jack gone off to university, though, it's kind of weird."

"Well, I can understand that," Jill nodded. Jess' oldest brother had been accepted to Princeton that summer, and had packed up and gone off to university late in August. "How does he like it?"

"He _loves_ it, apparently," Jess said, "He says he's met all kinds of new people, and has made all kinds of new friends,"

"That's good." Jill smiled, "Did Nick decide where he wants to go yet?"

Jess shook her head, "Nick's still holding out. He thinks he's going to be a star soccer player, get discovered at some game, and never have to go to university or college. Jack keeps trying to tell him that just isn't realistic, but he won't listen."

"I'm sure he'll pick a good college," Jill said. "And how are _you_?"

"The same." Jess responded, "Still the baby, still a tomboy, and still being stalked by Jason Morgan."

"You lucky girl, you," Jill said sarcastically, causing Jess to grin. Jill paused, but then said, "It was awfully nice of you to let Randy go out with Lauren tonight. I know Friday nights are kind of your thing, and I also know that you want to finish that project."

Jess shrugged, "It's for the paper, and it's important to him, right?"

Jill smiled slightly, "You're an awesome friend to him, you know that, right?"

"Well, _I_ know that," Jess nodded, "I just wish he would say so, once in awhile, you know?"

Jill nodded to show she understood, and then said, "He really does appreciate you, Jessica. He wouldn't know what to do without you."

"Yeah he would," Jess nodded, "He'd be fine. He'd be able to go hang out with his friends from the paper, or _Lauren_." Jess hadn't meant for the venom to escape in her voice.

Jill raised her eyebrows, "You don't like Lauren?"

Jess hesitated, but then said, "No. Not really, Mrs. Taylor."

"Well, maybe you should talk to Randy about it," Jill suggested.

Jess shook her head, "No, thanks," She caught the questioning look that Jill was giving her and she said, "If I talk to Randy, and tell him that I don't like Lauren, he's going to want to know _why_."

"Well, why do you, sweetie?"

Jess looked clueless, "I don't know, actually. I just don't get a good vibe from her, you know? And I can totally tell that she hates me. But if I tell Randy that, he'll think I'm being delusional, or he'll get it into his head that I'm jealous."

Jill looked at her and said, "Jessica… are you jealous?"

"No!" Jess looked at her with wide brown eyes, "No, no, no!" She shook her head, "Randy's my best friend, and I love him, Mrs. Taylor, but like a brother, you know? Once you know so much about a guy you can't really get past that."

Jill raised an eyebrow but remained silent. She personally had always thought that Randy and Jessica would be perfect together one day, and had really been thinking that they would get married, or at least date, since the first day she saw them playing together.

And she wouldn't complain if Randy one day came home and announced that Jessica was his girlfriend, and she knew for a fact that Tim wouldn't mind one bit either.

"There you go, Jessie, your dress is finished," Jill patted the green material and smiled.

Jess turned and looked at herself in the mirror, "Wow, thanks, Mrs. Taylor! This is going to be great for the presentation!" She hugged Jill, and Jill smiled faintly.

"No problem, sweetie." Jill hugged Jess back, "And, you know, if you ever need anyone to talk to about these problems… You know I'm here, right?"

Jess nodded, "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Mrs. Taylor." She picked up her bag, "I'll probably see you tomorrow."

"Have a good night, Jess." Jill sighed as Jessica walked out of the house, and next door.

She always felt bad for the youngest of the three James kids. Jessica didn't really have anybody at her own home, her mother, Veronica, was often so out of it that she didn't even realize she still had two kids living at home.

Sometimes she just wished that she could take Jess and keep her at their house, but she knew that she couldn't do anything to help her except be there for Jessica.

* * *

**Please read and review! (**


	5. FOUR

**CHAPTER FOUR. **

The weekend went by without much activity from either the Taylor's or the James', and before Randy knew it, it was Wednesday and he and Jess were preparing to present their scene from _Romeo and Juliet_.

Things between he and Jess had been strange ever since Friday night. They, of course, had hung out over the weekend, but things between the two of them had been different. Randy could understand if she was kind of ticked at him, he _had_ ditched working on their project to go out with Lauren. But it was _Lauren_, the girl of his dreams… Jess could understand that, right?

In English on Wednesday, Randy had a hard time finding Jess at first. Everybody looked different, in their various attempts at Shakespearean clothing, but he finally found her. She was sitting in her regular spot, by the window, with her hair in a low ponytail, and she was wearing… a _dress_.

This was the thing Randy found the hardest to believe. His best friend _hated_ dresses, but Jill _had_ said that Juliet would have worn a dress, and what he found even stranger was that Jess looked _good_.

"Hey." He greeted her.

Jess didn't look up from the book she was reading, "Hey."

"You, um, look nice." Randy said awkwardly.

Jess' dark brown eyes flicked up from her book. She blinked a few times before saying, "Thanks."

Randy sat down next to her, and was trying to think of something to say to break the awkwardness between them, when their English teacher, Ms. Waller, came over.

"Randy, Jessica, you two look _very_ nice!" She exclaimed.

"Thanks, Ms. Waller," Jess said, almost smiling.

The teacher walked off, and Randy remained silent for a few moments before saying, "Are you mad at me?"

Jess raised her head and looked at him, "Why would I be mad at you, Randy?"

"Uh, I don't know, really." Randy nodded, "Its just… things are weird. I feel like you're mad at me… maybe because I ditched you on Friday?"

Jess rolled her eyes, "Yeah, that's it." Her voice was heavily laced with sarcasm, "I'm not mad at you."

"Oh, okay." Randy nodded. Things were still awkward between them, so he said, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Jess replied blinking at him, "Seriously. Are _you_ okay? You're acting kind of weird."

"I'm fine." Randy nodded. "It's just… I feel like we haven't really talked since Friday."

"You've been busy with the paper," Jess responded, closing her book, "And I've been avoiding Jason Morgan."

"Yeah, I guess you're right… So, Jason Morgan is still giving you a hard time?"

"Unfortunately," Jess nodded, "Apparently Brad hitting him right in his stupid face isn't enough to tell him to back off."

"Do you want me to talk to him again?" Randy was being semi-serious.

Jess cracked a grin, "It's okay, I think I can handle it. I wouldn't want you to go and scare him _too_ badly."

Randy grinned back, and said, "Well, okay, but if you ever need it, you know where I am."

Jess laughed, and said, "Rumor has it that Ellie Harmond is going to faint on purpose during this presentation."

"Really?" Randy looked surprised, "How do you know this?"

"Some girls told me at lunch." Jess replied, "They asked how I was going to get out of presenting it, and I said I wasn't going to."

"So they said…?"

"They asked who my partner was, and when I said it was you, they started talking about how much of a dream boat you are." Jess replied, "Not really my kind of conversation."

"Oh, come on, Jess, I know you think I'm a dream boat." Randy chuckled.

"Oh, you're right, Randy, you caught me." Jess nodded, blinking her wide brown eyes, "I've been secretly in love with you since the moment I met you when we were three years old."

"What did it for you?" Randy asked.

"I think it must've been the _Power Rangers_ overalls you were wearing, or the way you were sucking your thumb." Jess maintained a serious face for a few moments after saying that, before cracking up laughing.

Randy laughed too, and felt as though a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He was glad that things between he and Jess were back to normal.

* * *

Their English presentation had been a success and they had gotten the full marks for it. Randy and Jess were walking down the hallway, towards Jess' locker, when suddenly their cheery mood was ruined… or Jess' was, at least.

"Randy, hey!" Lauren came sashaying up, her white blonde hair almost glowing in the fluorescent lighting.

"Oh, hey, Lauren." Randy smiled.

Lauren smiled at him and then spotted Jess, "Oh, hi, Jessica."

"Hey." Jess nodded in her general direction. She willed herself not to look directly at her, because she knew if she did, she would most likely end up saying something she would later regret.

"So, our article's almost finished!" Lauren said excitedly, "I was thinking that this Saturday, maybe, you could come over and we could finish it together."

"Well, I would, Lauren," Randy began, and Lauren's face fell, "But I have a backyard barbecue to go to."

"Backyard barbecue?" Lauren echoed.

"It's something all of the people in our neighborhood do every year." Jess piped up, seeing the obvious disapproval in Lauren's eyes.

"Yeah," Randy nodded, "Sorry, I can't miss it."

"Oh, okay." Lauren sighed, "I guess I could finish it…" She started walking away, when Randy said, "Wait, Lauren, I have an idea! Maybe you could come to the barbecue…"

Jess sighed deeply and frowned. Lauren had to ruin everything, didn't she?

* * *

Saturday morning, Jess woke up early to help her mother prepare for the barbecue, but she was automatically in a bad mood. She came downstairs, still in her pajamas and found her mother already starting the desserts.

"Good morning, Jessie," Veronica greeted dreamily.

"What's so good about it?" Jess grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Did somebody wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" Veronica asked, looking at her daughter expectantly.

"Not really," Jess sighed and sat at the counter across from her mother.

"Then what's up?"

"Did you ever notice how high school seems to complicate everything?" Jess asked, resting her head on her hands.

"That's what high school's for," Veronica nodded, smiling slightly. "Well, that, and your education,"

Jess sighed, and Veronica said, "What's bothering you, sugar plum?"

"There's this girl at school."

"A girl?" Veronica repeated, her eyes widening, "Oh… okay. I didn't realize you were into that kind of thing, Jessica, but if it makes you happy—"

"Not like that, Mom!!" Jess exclaimed, sitting up straight, "She's Randy's "friend"."

"Oh, okay," Veronica nodded, "Well, what is it about Randy's _friend_ that you don't like?"

"Everything." Jess muttered, and then said, "She thinks she's perfect, and she totally hates me. And she's all over Randy, but I don't think she's good enough for him, honestly."

"Well, Jess, did you ever think that maybe this girl might view you as competition and that's why she hates you?" Veronica asked.

"Competition?" Jess wrinkled her nose, "Competition for _what_?"

"Randy." Veronica clarified.

"I don't think I understand what you mean, Mom." Jess said slowly.

Veronica smiled slightly, "Well, you said she's all over Randy, right? Well, maybe the reason why she doesn't like you is because she views you as competition for Randy's affections."

"But I'm not," Jess said, looking confused. "Randy and I have been best friends since we were three, I'm pretty sure he would _never_ see me like that."

"What makes you say that?" Veronica asked, "You're very pretty, Jessica, and you're a lovely person. I don't see why Randy _wouldn't_ see you like that."

"He likes Lauren, Mom." Jess felt slightly embarrassed by her mother's words of praise.

"Lauren's the girl you don't like, I'm assuming." Veronica said, as Jess nodded, "Well, sunshine, if you get such a bad vibe from her, maybe you should talk to Randy about it?"

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to go so well," Jess muttered, "And to make matters worse, she's coming to the barbecue tonight."

"Randy invited her?"

Jess nodded again, and Veronica said, "Well, Jess, if you don't think talking to Randy will help, you just better keep your fingers crossed that she'll do something that'll prove that she isn't good enough for him."

Jess nodded, but remained silent.

"But, if she doesn't…" Veronica said, "You should try to talk to him. You guys are best friends, and I'm sure he'd listen if you told him."

* * *

That night, Jess spent most of her time with Mark and Brad. Brad was the first one to voice his confusion, "Why aren't you hanging out with Randy?"

"Why does it matter?" Jess asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, I was just asking… I mean, you guys usually never leave each others sides at these things." Brad explained.

"Yeah, well." Jess wasn't sure how to respond to this.

"Why's Lauren here?" Mark asked suddenly, "She doesn't live around here."

"Randy invited her." Jess replied, sighing.

"Why?" Mark wrinkled her nose.

_Because she guilt-tripped him into doing it_, Jess thought bitterly. But she forced a smile, and shrugged, "I really don't know."

A little while later, Jess was standing by herself when she suddenly heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned and found Lauren Weiss looking at her.

"Can I help you?" Jess asked.

"As a matter of fact, you can," Lauren nodded, "You can back off from Randy."

Jess gave a small sound of disbelief, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Lauren nodded. "Back off."

"And what exactly makes _you_ think that you can tell me whether or not I should back off from a guy who's been my best friend for the past thirteen years?" Jess asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lauren rolled her eyes, looking unimpressed, "Look, I don't want to have to hurt you, but I will if it comes to that. I like Randy. And what I like, I get. Got it?"

"Randy's not somebody's personal possession, he's a person and he can make up his own mind who should be in his life and who shouldn't." Jess stated. "And, just a little newsflash, you don't scare me. I could take you in a fight."

"Who said I meant in a fight?" Lauren raised her eyebrows, and continued, "You know, Randy's told me a lot about you in the time we've hung out together. He's told me all about your parents, and all those lovely little things that happened before they got divorced. He told me how your dad left, and about your brother's little… _problem_. And he also told me that I should keep that on the down low," She smiled faintly, "It would just suck for that to go public, now, wouldn't it?"

"Randy wouldn't tell you that," Jess said slowly.

"Then how would I know about it?" Lauren asked, cocking her head to the side.

"You're crazy." Jess stated.

"Not quite," Lauren said, "I'm just someone who knows what I want, and I'm gonna get him. And you're going to back off, right?"

Jess just shook her head, and walked away, she frowned deeply as she heard Lauren call, "So great to have this chat!"

Jess was so wrapped up in her now fuming rage, that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, and she ran right into Randy.

"Hey, Jess!" He greeted her, "Where are you headed?"

"I'm going home," Jess said softly.

"What? Why?!" Randy exclaimed, looking concerned.

"Why don't you ask your girlfriend?" Jess said in a low voice, before pushing past Randy and walking to her house.

* * *

**Sorry it's been so long AGAIN, guys! It's been kind of crazy around here! But I swear I'm going to try my hardest to keep up with this story now! Thank you all SO much for the reviews, they mean so much to me! And a special thank you to _Randy Taylor_ for coming up with the idea for the scene between Jess and Lauren! Please read and review!**


	6. FIVE

**CHAPTER FIVE.**

Randy spent the entire weekend confused. He wasn't sure what had happened between himself and Jess, but he knew that she was mad. He'd called her house three times during the Sunday after the barbecue and each time, Veronica had told Randy that Jess wasn't up to taking any phone calls.

That Monday, Randy walked over to Jess' house to pick her up so that they could walk to school together.

Veronica came to the door, looking sleepy. "Hi, Randy."

"Hi, Mrs. James, uh… Veronica, sorry." Randy corrected himself. Veronica had been making all of the kids call her Veronica ever since Mr. James had walked out on the family. "Is Jess ready to leave?"

"Oh, sorry, Randy," Veronica shook her head, "Jessica went to school with Nick. He gave her a ride this morning."

Randy looked confused, "Is Jess okay?"

Veronica hesitated, "Well. She doesn't really want me to _say_ anything… something happened at the barbecue on Saturday though. She won't tell me what but… something got to her."

"Something got to Jess." Randy repeated, looking somewhat stunned.

"Well, that was my reaction." Veronica nodded. "Jess is usually just like rubber, everything bounces off her, but, Randy… something's up with her. She wouldn't tell me though. I'm sure if you talked to her at school today though…"

"Yeah, I'm not so sure about that, Veronica." Randy muttered, "Thanks anyways."

"No problem," Veronica nodded, "Have a good day at school."

"Thanks." Randy said again, and then made his way towards school.

* * *

Randy walked into the English classroom, and found Jess sitting by herself, reading her book.

"Jess."

Jess looked up, and saw Randy looking at her with a serious expression, "You got a drive to school."

"Nick offered." Jess said softly, looking back at her book.

"And you didn't tell me _because_?"

"We left early, I didn't know if you'd be up yet," Jess still wasn't looking at him.

"Jessica. What the _hell_ is going on with you?" Randy asked.

"I can't tell you." Jess murmured.

"Why not?" Randy wrinkled his eyebrows. "Jessie, we've been best friends for thirteen years, we've seen the best and worst of each other, I think we're past the point where we don't tell each other stuff."

Jess nodded, "You're probably right."

"So?"

Jess gnawed on her bottom lip, before saying, "I can't tell you, Randy."

"Did I do something?" Randy asked slowly.

"No!" Jess exclaimed, suddenly looking at him with wide brown eyes, "It wasn't you. I swear to _God_, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why are things so weird between us?" Randy stared at her.

"I don't know," Jess went back to staring at her book, "I'm sorry things are so weird."

Randy shrugged and sat beside her, "Are we going to talk about whatever happened on Saturday?"

"I'd rather not." Jess' voice was barely a whisper.

"Fine." Randy was in a bad mood now, he crossed his arms over his chest and stared straight ahead, wondering when things were going to become okay with his best friend again.

Just after the last bell rang, Ms. Waller cleared her throat, "Class, I would like you to help me in introducing a new exchange student. This is Milo Diacos, and he's just joined our class from Barcelona, Spain."

Randy looked up and found a tall boy with dark hair, even darker than Jess', and tan skin standing in front of the class.

"There's a free seat beside Ms. James," Ms. Waller said, smiling.

Jess raised her head, and her eyes widened as she watched him come over and sit beside her. It was only then that Randy realized that the entire female population of his English class were staring at Milo.

"Hello," Milo nodded at Jess, "I am Milo."

"I'm Jess." Jess said, smiling slightly. "Welcome to Detroit."

"Thank you," Milo smiled, and Randy felt an unfamiliar twinge in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure _what_ it was, but he knew that he didn't like it, and he was quite sure that he would _not_ like Milo

* * *

"So, you don't speak much English?" Jess asked Milo as they sat outside for lunch.

Milo shook his head, "No."

"That must be tough," Jess remarked, "Coming to a place where people don't speak much else _but_ English, and you don't know exactly what you want to say,"

Milo nodded, "This is exactly what I think,"

"Well, if you wanted, I could help you sometime," Jess offered, smiling slightly.

"Yes, that would be very nice," Milo smiled brightly, "Is this, um… what do you Americans call it? A date?"

"A date?" Jess repeated, her eyes wide, "Um, well, I don't know about that…"

"Oh." Milo's face fell, "You have someone already?"

"No," Jess shook her head, "No, no."

"You mean… that boy who was beside you… he was not your… uh… special someone?" Milo asked, looking confused.

"What boy who was sitting beside me?" Jess made a face, and then said, "Randy?"

Milo nodded.

"Oh, no." Jess shook her head, "We aren't… we're not like that."

"You aren't?" Milo looked surprised.

Jess shook her head again, "No, no, we're just friends."

"Just friends," Milo echoed.

Jess nodded, "Yeah. He lives in the house next to mine, we've been best friends for years… nothing like that though."

"Oh," Milo nodded slowly and then said, "So it _is_ a date?"

"I'm not so sure about that," Jess said, looking down at her feet, "We'll just see how it goes before we decide if it's a date or not, okay?"

Milo nodded, and then said, "I think I would like to date you, Jess James."

Jess blushed dark pink and smiled shyly, "But you don't even know me yet."

Milo shrugged, "I can see that you are a good person. And that _is_ what is counting, no?"

* * *

That Saturday, after an awkward week between Randy and Jess, Jess agreed for Milo to come over and she would help him with his English.

"A boy." Veronica repeated, her eyes wide.

"Yes, Mom."

"A boy is coming over _here_?" Veronica sounded as though she couldn't believe her ears.

"Uh-huh," Jess nodded.

"A boy… and it isn't Randy." Veronica said slowly.

"Yes," Jess nodded again, "He's an exchange student, and I'm helping him with his English."

"Is that what kids are calling it these days?" Veronica raised an eyebrow.

"_Mother_," Jess groaned.

"Okay, okay," Veronica waved a hand, "What's his name?"

"Milo." Jess replied.

"And where is _Milo_ from?"

"Spain."

"That's nice," Veronica said absently, "And is he… good looking?"

"_Mom_." Jess rolled her eyes.

Veronica made an innocent face, "It's a normal question, Jessica, I was just asking."

"Well, for your information," Jess' voice grew quieter, "Yeah. He is."

"Very good looking?" Veronica looked at her, smiling.

"Yes," Jess mumbled.

"Uh-huh," Veronica nodded, "And would you say he's… interested in you, Jess?"

"Interested, like, what? Like… that?" Jess asked, and then started to shake her head, before saying, "Um, well. Maybe."

"Maybe?" Veronica looked interested.

"Well, he said that he thinks he might want to date me." Jess said, "But I don't know if he actually meant it."

"I'm sure he did, Jess." Veronica nodded, "Who wouldn't want to date you?"

"Mom, you're supposed to say that. You're my mother." Jess remarked.

"And since when does me being your mom mean I have to act like your mom?" Veronica asked.

"That's a good question." Jess nodded.

Veronica smiled slightly, and then said, "So, do you think you'll date him?"

"I don't know, Mom, I mean. He's a nice guy, but I don't know if he'd like me once he got to know me." Jess said.

"Well, sweetheart, you'll never know until you try."

* * *

**Thank you guys so much for your reviews, they make my day (: So this definitely wasn't my favorite chapter to write, I don't know why but it wasn't fun to write for me. I promise the next chapter will be much more interesting though. Please read and review! (:**


	7. SIX

**CHAPTER SIX.**

Jess had a hard time helping Milo with his English, not because he was stupid or anything, because he wasn't. On the contrary, he seemed to be very smart. The main problem Jess had with helping him with his English, was that he wasn't focusing very well. He was spending most of the time staring at her.

"Milo, if you don't want me to help you with your English, then you should've just told me." Jess said after about an hour and a half of sitting on her back deck with Milo.

"Why would you think that I do not want you to help me?" Milo looked confused.

"Well, because every time I try to help you, it seems like you're not paying attention," Jess said, taking a sip of her water.

"I am very sorry," Milo apologized, "I _do_ want you to help. I just… It is very confusing."

"English?" Jess asked.

"Well, yes, but…" Milo looked down and then back at Jess, "I think I would like to try something."

"Is it English related?" Jess raised an eyebrow, and rested her head on her chin.

"Kind of?" Milo smiled mysteriously.

"Okay, then, what do you want to try?" Jess asked, resting her head on her hand, as she looked slightly amused.

And then it happened.

Milo kissed her. It was very brief, and when they broke apart, he looked at her, "Is that okay?"

"Uh," Jess' cheeks were bright pink as she brushed a piece of hair away from her face, "I'm trying to figure out what _exactly_ that has to do with English."

"You are an English girl." Milo said, as though this should've made everything clearer to Jess.

"Uh-huh," Jess nodded, "And?"

"I have never kissed a girl who is English before." Milo said simply.

"Okay," Jess nodded slowly.

"You are angry?" Milo asked.

"No," Jess shook her head, "No, I'm not angry, Milo."

"Then what is it that you are feeling?" Milo's dark eyes glinted in the sunlight,

"I don't really know how to describe it," Jess replied softly.

"Then, maybe," Milo moved closer, "I should be kissing you again,"

He didn't wait for her response, he kissed her again. And this time, he touched her face and pulled her closer when he did. Jess wasn't going to complain, she did think he was a nice guy, and there was a chance she could like him.

She probably would've kissed him longer if there hadn't been a noise of disbelief from the steps to the porch. Jess and Milo broke apart, and found Randy standing on the deck, staring at them.

"Randy," Jess breathed.

Randy shook his head, before saying, "Wow, Jessica, that's classy." And walking away.

Jess put a hand over her mouth, and took a deep breath.

"You are okay, Jess?" Milo asked, looking confused.

"No, Milo," Jess shook her head, "I'm not okay."

* * *

That night, Jess found herself standing at the Taylor's front door. She knocked, and took a deep breath, before Jill hauled the door open, and looked slightly surprised to see Jess knocking for once, Usually the James kids came and went as they pleased in the Taylor house.

"Hi, sweetie!" She greeted happily, "I was wondering when I'd see you around again. I asked Randy the other day where you'd disappeared to, and he just said that you'd been really busy," She smiled at her, "How can I help you?"

Jess took another deep breath, "Is Randy here?"

"Randy? Oh, yeah, he's downstairs, you can go right down." Jill nodded. She noted that Jess looked more serious than usual, and knew that Jess being busy couldn't have been the only thing keeping her away. She sighed and wondered what could've been going on between Randy and Jess.

* * *

Jess walked down to the basement of the Taylor home and found Randy laying on his bed, listening to the Beatles. She took a third deep breath, and then knocked on the wall just outside of Randy's bedroom.

Randy lifted his head, and looked at her, before laying back down.

"Hey." Jess greeted softly.

"What do you want, Jess?"

"Well, I kind of think we should talk, don't you?" Jess asked, walking in, and crossing her arms over her chest.

"What's there to talk about?" Randy asked.

"You know, that whole thing where you answer all my questions with "what-insert-object-here", when you're trying to distract me?" Jess asked, smiling blithely, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Randy gave one bark of phony laughter, before going back to staring at the ceiling.

"I don't know what's wrong with you, Randy," Jess sighed.

"What's wrong with _me_? Oh, this is rich," Randy propped himself up on his elbows, "Jessica, I've been trying to figure out what's wrong with _you_ for the past week! And have _you_ told _me_?" Randy shook his head, and laid back down.

"Fine, you want to know what's wrong with me?" Jess asked, "You're not going to like it. And you know what? You're probably not going to believe it either."

"Jess, why the hell wouldn't I believe you?" Randy asked, sitting up.

"Lauren told me to back off from you, otherwise she'd tell the whole school about what went on with my parents before they split up, and about what happened with my brother." Jess stated, looking serious.

Randy's face was expressionless, "Jess…"

"I told you that you wouldn't believe me." Jess said, blinking rapidly, "But it _is_ the truth, I wouldn't make something like that up."

"Jess, it just doesn't make sense that Lauren would say something like that." Randy said slowly.

"Right, of course," Jess nodded, tears welling in her eyes, "Because Lauren's perfect right? Lauren's your _dream girl_?" She bit her lip before saying, "What about me, Randy? What about me?"

"What about you?" Randy was confused.

"I've been your _best friend_ since we were _three years old_! She's been in the picture barely even a year, and yet, because you think she's the perfect girl for you, that suddenly that makes her better than I am?" Jess asked, her eyes wide. "What makes you think that I wouldn't be telling the truth about this, Randy?"

"The fact that you were locking lips with the exchange student on your back porch a couple of hours ago, and I didn't even know that you two were hanging out!" Randy exclaimed.

"Oh, so because I was helping Milo with his English, this suddenly tarnishes my reputation for my honesty?" Jess looked as though she couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Helping him with his English?" Randy raised his eyebrows, "Is that what they're calling it these days?"

"Okay, for your information, I _was_ aiming to help him with his English, I wasn't planning on him _kissing _me," Jess said, frowning at him.

"Uh-huh." Randy rolled his eyes.

"For God's sake, Randy, why are you acting like _I'm_ the only one in the wrong here?!" Jess exclaimed, her eyes flashing.

"Oh, please, Jessica, tell me what I did wrong?" Randy said in a voice that was dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, where to begin," Jess spat, her notorious James temper beginning to show. "Should I start at the part where your girlfriend hates my guts and will do _anything_ to make sure I back the hell away from you? Or maybe that part where you are freaking your mind off at me because a guy was kissing me on my back porch, for no good reason?"

"No good reason?" Randy repeated, staring at her, "Yeah, I have _no_ good reason to freak out because some senior guy is macking on my best friend on her back porch."

Jess looked at him, "You _don't_, Randy. Who I kiss or don't kiss is my business, don't you think? You didn't ask me about Lauren."

"I didn't kiss Lauren." Randy said wrinkling his nose, "And that's beyond the point, Jess. I like Lauren."

"Who says I don't like Milo?" Jess asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, no one, I suppose," Randy began, "But he's totally not your type."

"Oh, because you're suddenly an expert on what kind of guys I like." Jess nodded, "I've liked _how_ many guys in the past 13 years, Randy?"

"Well, uh, um…" Randy suddenly began regretting making that comment.

"Besides, you know, for a best friend who wants me to tell him everything, you didn't really do a very good job of doing that yourself, did you?" Jess said, narrowing her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Lauren, Randy. We _never_ talked about Lauren." Jess accused, "You never asked me if I thought she was okay, or if I was all right with you dating her, or what _I_ thought of _her_." She pinched the bridge of her nose, "You know, you might not think it's important to talk about that stuff, but _I_ do."

Randy was quiet and then he said, "You didn't talk to me about Milo."

"Yeah, that's because Lauren's a psychopath who wants to tell the whole school my family's dirty little secrets. She thinks I'm competition,"

"Did Lauren say that?" Randy asked quietly.

"No," Jess said, looking at her feet, "It doesn't matter anyways though, because you won't believe me either way." She rolled her eyes, "You're my best friend, Randy, and I really, really care about you, but if she's around… I'm not." Jess said the last part softly, her bottom lip started to quiver, and she turned on her heel so that she was out of the basement before she burst into tears.

* * *

**So I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter. I don't really know why. Anyways, good news! I am almost finished typing up _The Best Girl_ so I should most likely, before too long, have daily updates (: Anyways, thank you guys so much for the reviews, please keep it up!!**


	8. SEVEN

**CHAPTER SEVEN.**

Jill knew that something had been wrong when Jess had left the house without a word that night. She decided she would try to talk to Randy about it first, before talking to Jess.

Jill went downstairs, and noted that Randy's choice of music had changed from a mellow Beatles album, to Nirvana. She knocked on the door to Randy's bedroom, and stuck her head in, "Hi, honey."

Randy turned down the music, "Hi."

"Jessica left?" Jill asked, walking towards Randy's bed slowly.

"Yeah," Randy scoffed, shaking his head.

"Is there something going on with you two?" Jill asked.

Randy shrugged, before saying, "It's more like a lack of something that's the problem, Mom."

Jill's eyebrows shot up, "Excuse me?"

"Not like that," Randy shook his head, "It's just like… everything between us seems to be getting so complicated this year."

"Sweetie, that's high school," Jill said, patting Randy's leg comfortingly, "But you and Jessie have been together for longer than most television shows and music groups last. Even some married couples."

Randy shook his head, "Yeah, well, all good things must come to an end."

Jill looked stunned, "Randy! You can't let your friendship with Jessica end because of one argument."

"It was a big argument, Mom." Randy muttered.

"Well, what was it about?" Jill asked slowly.

"I don't want to talk about it," Randy replied.

Jill sighed. She would have to try talking to Jess the next day.

* * *

Veronica knew that something was wrong when her daughter had come home in tears. Jessica never cried, and the fact that she'd come home crying was a sign that something was _seriously_ wrong.

"Jessie, baby, can I talk to you?" Veronica knocked on Jess' door.

She heard Jess sniffling and said, "Come in, Mom."

Veronica pushed the door open, and found Jess laying on her bed, facing the wall. "Are you okay, honey?"

Jess shook her head.

"What happened?" Veronica asked, sitting beside her, stroking Jess' long hair.

"I told Randy what was on my mind," Jess murmured, tears rolling down her face.

"He didn't take it well?" Veronica asked.

"Well, the whole thing didn't start out well in the first place, Mom," Jess said, blinking rapidly, "Milo kissed me and Randy saw."

Veronica tried to hide her surprise, "Oh, wow… Jess."

"And he got _so_ mad, and he was all like "you never told me what was wrong with you, Milo's not your type, Lauren wouldn't say all that to you"," Jess said, sniffling, "And then I told him that he's my best friend, and that I care about him but…" Jess cried softly, "If Lauren's in his life, I'm not going to be."

"Oh, Jessie girl," Veronica leaned down and kissed the side of her daughter's head, "I'm sure you two will work things out."

"I don't know, Mama, we've never fought before," Jess cried, "And this was a _big_ fight. I wouldn't blame him for _never_ forgiving me. I was mean."

"You spoke your mind though, right?" Veronica asked.

Jess nodded.

"That's what counts," Veronica said, "Randy really cares about you, Jess, and I don't think that he'll let two people as unimportant as Lauren and Milo come in between you two."

Jess rolled over and curled up to cry on her mother's knee, "I hope you're right."

* * *

The next day, Jill walked over to the James home, and knocked on the door. Lanky Nick answered the door, "Oh, hey, Mrs. T., what's up?"

"Oh, nothing really, Nick, um… is your sister home?" Jill asked.

"Jess? Oh, she should be. I think she's been in her room since she got home last night," Nick nodded, "Do you want me to go get her?"

"If it's not too much," Jill nodded, "I'd kind of like to talk to her about something."

"Oh, sure, I'll go up and get her," Nick nodded, "My mom's in the kitchen if you want to go and see her."

"Thanks, Nick," Jill smiled, and then made her way into the kitchen, where she found Veronica sitting, drinking a cup of coffee.

"Oh, hi, Jill," Veronica greeted, smiling at her neighbor, "What brings you over here?"

"I kind of wanted to talk to Jess, if that was okay with you," Jill said.

Veronica nodded, "Well, I certainly don't have a problem with it, but Jess may feel differently." She paused, "I don't think she's much into talking to anybody right now."

"She's pretty torn up about that fight that she and Randy are having too, huh?" Jill asked.

Veronica nodded, "Jess came home in tears last night,"

"Tears?" Jill repeated, her eyebrows raised.

"That was my reaction." Veronica nodded, "You know as well as I do that Jessica doesn't cry unless something's seriously wrong."

"Did she tell you what the fight was about?" Jill asked.

Veronica nodded, and sighed.

"Randy wouldn't tell me," Jill frowned.

"Well, it's basically like any episode of _Beverly Hills 90210 _available for our children to watch except based in Detroit," Veronica said, "Jess doesn't get a good vibe from Lauren, Lauren pulled a crazy at the barbecue last weekend and told Jessica to stay away from Randy, or Lauren was going to tell the whole school about what happened with Jack. Jess backed off and wouldn't tell Randy what was bothering her, and then this new guy, Milo, came into the picture."

Veronica took a breath, "Milo is from Spain, and very interested in my daughter. She offered to help him with his English, so he came over to our house yesterday. Apparently, Milo made a move on her and kissed her on our back porch, when Randy came over and saw."

Jill's brown eyes were wide. "Wow, Veronica,"

"There's more, believe it or not," Veronica nodded, "So, Jessica went over to your house last night to talk to Randy and try to work everything out, and that basically did nothing, except maybe make things worse. She and Randy argued about Lauren, and Milo, and it basically came down to Jess saying that she really cares about Randy and that he's her best friend, but if Lauren's in his life, she isn't going to be."

"Oh, my God." Jill was stunned, she didn't know what else to say. "No wonder they're both so torn up."

Veronica nodded, and sighed, "I really want them to work things out, Jill, but I don't want my daughter to be the one to make her best friend give up a girl he likes."

Jill nodded to show she understood, and then said, "Veronica… do you think that maybe the real reason behind the kids fighting might not be Milo and Lauren?"

Veronica smiled slightly, "That was my first thought too. I haven't been able to ask Jess about it though, the timing just hasn't been right."

"Mrs. Taylor?" Nick came jogging into the kitchen, "Jess says you can go up and see her if you want."

"Thanks, Nick," Jill smiled, and then made her way up to Jessica's bedroom. The door was already open, so Jill just tapped on the doorframe to announce herself.

Jess looked up, and Jill was startled to see her eyes were swollen and red-rimmed.

"Hi, sweetie," Jill greeted, "You mind if I sit down?"

Jess shook her head. After Jill had sat down, Jess said, "I'm guessing my mom already told you about why Randy and I are fighting."

Jill nodded, "Yeah, she did."

"Is that why you wanted to talk to me?" Jess asked.

Jill nodded again, "And I wanted to make sure you were okay,"

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" Jess asked in a flat voice. "My best friend probably wants nothing to do with me now, but that's no big deal."

"Jessica, Randy will never want nothing to do with you. He really cares about you." Jill said.

"Yeah, but I gave him an ultimatum," Jess said, "Between me and the girl he likes. That makes me like the worst best friend in history."

"You don't like Lauren, though, and you don't think she's good for Randy." Jill said.

"Yeah, but what does that matter when Randy can't see it?" Jess asked.

"Sweetheart, it does matter," Jill nodded, "I know you don't think so right now, but later on down the road, Randy will probably thank you for telling him what you really think of Lauren."

"If you say so, Mrs. Taylor," Jess sighed.

"I wish I could somehow make this all better for you two." Jill said softly, "I don't know how to, though."

"Don't worry, it isn't your fault," Jess said.

"That doesn't stop me from wishing I could make things all right for you and Randy." Jill said. "I know you're probably not going to want to hear this right now, but… do you ever think that maybe the reason you're so wary of Lauren… it might be because…" Jill hesitated, "Maybe your feelings aren't entirely just friendly towards Randy."

Jess blinked before reacting, "Like, what do you mean? You think I like him more than friends?"

"It's just a possibility I was throwing out there, sweetie." Jill nodded.

"I don't," Jess shook her head, "I don't. Randy's my best friend, that's _it_. Once you know somebody for this long, it's just impossible to see them like that, right? I mean, you know. I don't like him like that. No. I don't."

"Well, Jessica," Jill touched Jess' shoulder gently, "To me, you sound more like you're convincing yourself than anybody else."

Jess blinked a few times, and then said, "I don't think I do, Mrs. Taylor." But she didn't sound very sure of herself this time.

"Maybe just think about it, Jess," Jill kissed the top of Jess' head, "I'm right next door if you need to talk."

"Thanks, Mrs. Taylor." Jess said, in a now absent voice. Apparently she really was going to have to reevaluate how she felt about everything.

* * *

Randy was sitting in the back yard, when he heard Wilson's greeting.

"Hi-de-ho, Taylor lad."

"Oh, hey, Wilson," Randy turned so he was facing the fence.

"Why do I sense that something's troubling you, young Randy?" Wilson asked, his eyebrows raising.

"Because it is," Randy sighed, "Jess and I are fighting."

"Oh, dear," Wilson sounded concerned, "You two never fight, what brought this on?"

"A guy," Randy was going to blame the whole thing on Milo, but he sighed, "And a girl."

"A guy and a girl being a different guy and girl than you and Jessica?" Wilson asked.

Randy nodded, "There are these two people at school, Lauren, the girl I like, and _Milo_," He said Milo's name with particular dislike, "This exchange student who likes Jess. Last night, we got into an argument, because I don't like Milo, and Jess doesn't like Lauren."

"Ah, uh-huh, uh-huh," Wilson nodded, "Well, Randy, why don't you like Milo?"

"He isn't good enough for Jess," Randy said automatically. In his opinion, nobody was good enough for Jess. "And he seems like a jerk."

"What makes you think that?" Wilson asked.

"Um… well…" Randy wracked his brain and then sighed, "I don't know, Wilson."

"Mm, well. Maybe the reason why you don't like this Milo fellow, and the reason that Jessica doesn't like Lauren… maybe it's because you two are experiencing what the French call _le petit monstre vert_." He paused before saying, "The little green monster."

"You think I'm jealous?" Randy raised his eyebrows. "Jealous of… Milo?"

Wilson nodded, "It would make sense, wouldn't it?"

"Well, yeah… I guess so." Randy said slowly, "But I'm not jealous of him."

"You may just want to sleep on that before you jump to conclusions, Randy," Wilson advised, "I once knew a man who was best kindred spirits with a lovely woman, not unlike Jessica and yourself. He didn't like the man she decided to date, but he wouldn't admit it was jealousy until it was too late."

Randy nodded slowly, "Well… thanks, Wilson."

"You're welcome, Randy."

* * *

**Thanks so much for the reviews guys! Again, sorry for the gap in between updates, but I've had exams! I'm finally on summer vacation, though, so I should be updating regularly! Please read and review! ( :**


	9. EIGHT

**CHAPTER EIGHT.**

"Costa Rica?" Jill echoed, her brown eyes wide, "You… you want to go to Costa Rica?"

Randy nodded, "Yeah, Mom, remember I told you about that program? You go down to Costa Rica for a year, and help save the environment?"

Jill _did_ remember this, but she hadn't thought that he would actually be _accepted_. "Oh, yeah, sweetie, I remember. You got accepted?"

"Yeah," Randy nodded again, "They called this morning to let me know! Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, great," Jill knew she didn't sound very enthusiastic, but she couldn't help it. "Randy, really, I'm glad you got accepted, but… please don't tell me you're going to escape your problems with Jessica."

"I'm not," Randy looked indignant, but a little part of his brain was nagging him, telling him that this was untrue. "Seriously, Mom, I want to go to Costa Rica because I want to help save the environment. What happened with Jess… it's not my motivation for going."

Jill nodded slowly, "As long as you're sure, sweetie."

"I'm sure,"

Jill watched her son as he left the kitchen to begin packing, and she sighed, hoping that Randy and Jess could patch things up before he left.

* * *

"Costa Rica?" Jess had to sit down, or she was sure she would've fallen over, "Randy's going to Costa Rica?"

Nick nodded, looking slightly concerned as he saw Jess trying to process what he'd just told her.

"How do you know?" Jess' voice was quiet, and she felt like she was dreaming, but she couldn't wake up.

"Brad just told me, Jess, he wanted to make sure you knew, and that you didn't hear it from someone else." Nick replied.

"Oh, you mean someone like, I don't know, _Randy_?" Jess' voice was suddenly harsh, "My supposed "best friend"?"

"I'm sure he was going to tell you," Nick said gently.

Jess gave a short bark of bitter laughter, "For some reason, I don't believe you."

"Jess, you guys are best friends," Nick said, looking confused, "Why wouldn't he tell you he's leaving?"

"I don't know, maybe the fact that he hasn't even _looked_ at me since we had that argument almost two weeks ago." Jess said in a flat voice.

Nick sighed, and said, "Well, he's leaving on Saturday. That gives you two almost two whole days to kiss and make up."

"I will if he will," Jess said, realizing (but not caring) that she sounded incredibly immature.

"Jessica, he's your best friend." Nick looked incredulous, "If you don't make up with him before he leaves for Costa Rica, you might lose him forever!"

"Thanks, Nick," Jess said sarcastically, standing up, "That is _exactly_ what I wanted to hear," She shoved her brother on her way out of the kitchen, "Jerk."

* * *

Jess was sitting on the swing set outside her house later that afternoon, and she felt extremely stupid. Why couldn't she have just kept her stupid mouth shut for once? Why couldn't she have just ignored Lauren's petty comments, and continued being Randy's best friend? Maybe if she had, he wouldn't be going to Costa Rica.

She shook her head. No, he'd still be going to Costa Rica. Of _course_, he'd still be going to Costa Rica. The two of them had briefly talked about the program, and about him applying. Jess distinctly remembered Randy saying that going down there and helping the environment would give him something to be passionate about.

She didn't want him to leave, but there was no way she could tell him. They hadn't spoken one word to each other since the fight in the Taylor's basement. It would have been easier if they had space from each other in school, but they didn't. They had _every_ class together, and the fact that Lauren was fawning all over Randy 24/7 didn't help. Jess had spent most of her time with Milo, which probably wasn't helping either, but she figured what could it hurt?

"Hey, Jess,"

She was pulled out of her thoughts, and she found Brad Taylor looking at her expectantly.

"Oh, hey, Brad," She forced a weak smile.

"How are you doing?" He asked, sitting beside her.

"I've been better, to be honest," Jess sighed.

Brad nodded slowly, before saying, "You're taking the Costa Rica thing pretty hard, huh?"

Jess nodded, "Yeah, that would probably be putting it lightly."

"Didn't you guys talk about it?" Brad asked.

She shook her head, "Well, I mean, he mentioned he might apply to it, but he made it sound like there was a higher chance of him getting a date with Kim Basinger than getting into this program." She paused, "I didn't think he'd get accepted, so I just forgot about it."

Brad nodded, "Yeah, same here. I didn't think he'd get accepted, and even if he did, I didn't figure that he'd actually _go_."

"If it's got to do with the environment, of _course_ Randy's going," Jess said, shaking her head.

Brad grinned slightly, "Good point." He paused before saying, "I really hope you guys make up before he leaves. I've missed you hanging around our house."

Jess smiled faintly, before nodding, "Yeah, Brad, me too."

* * *

Randy was in the process of packing when Brad came down the stairs and entered his room.

"Hey, man," Brad greeted him, before sitting on a chair at the end of his brother's bed.

"Hey, what are you up to?" Randy glanced over his shoulder at him, before continuing with his packing.

Brad shrugged, "You know, the usual, and just… thinking."

Randy paused to look at his brother quizzically, wondering where this was coming from.

"I'm just thinking about how we're missing out on all this stuff this year because you're going to Costa Rica. I mean, this is my last year at home," Brad looked at his younger brother, "We could've gone to some really awesome parties."

"I'm not much of a partier, Brad," Randy said, oddly touched that his brother was thinking this.

"Well, we could've had a lot of fun torturing Mark together," Brad said, with a grin.

Randy chuckled, "Yeah, that's true."

"I think it's really cool that you're going down there to save the environment and stuff, though." Brad said, "I know it means a lot to you."

Randy nodded, "Yeah, it does."

The two brothers were silent for a few moments, before Brad said, "Randy… I really think you should talk to Jess."

Randy turned to look at his brother, his eyebrows raised, "What? Where's this coming from?"

"I was just talking to her, and she's really upset," Brad said carefully, "I think that you should try and talk to her before you leave."

"And what good is that going to do?" Randy asked.

"Well, look at it this way," Brad replied, "If you don't make up with Jess before you leave, you might come back next year and find out that Jess doesn't have room for you in her life." He paused, standing, and moving towards the door, "Do you want to risk that?"

Brad left the room, and Randy sat on his bed, considering what his brother had just said, and realizing that he had just made a very valid point.

* * *

_Randy couldn't believe that a year had passed so quickly, but here he was, a year later, back from Costa Rica. He was tanned, and feeling incredibly nervous. He was walking to Jess' back porch. _

_When he got there, he felt slightly stunned. Jess was there… but so was Milo. She was on Milo's lap, her legs wrapped around his back, and they were kissing… definitely more than friends._

"_Jess?" He managed to croak._

_They stopped their passionate embrace, and Jess turned around. Her pink lips were swollen and her dark hair was a mess. She looked unimpressed when she saw Randy, and said, "Oh, it's you." She turned back around and started kissing Milo again. _

"_Um, Jess, can we talk?"_

_She stopped again and looked at him, "What is there to talk about, Randy?"_

"_Well, um, it's been a year," Randy said awkwardly._

"_You are right," Milo spoke up, as Jess moved from kissing his lips, to kissing his neck, "It has been a year, Randy Taylor. A year, and now Jessica is mine." He grinned slightly, "How could she not be, after how you were leaving her?"_

"_How I left her?" Randy repeated._

"_Oh, god," Jess turned around and looked at him, "Are you honestly __**that**__ stupid, Randy? You left me with my heart in pieces, for __**Lauren**__. You can't tell me you expected me to wait around for you forever, with a broken heart."_

"_Broken heart?" Randy echoed, not believing what he was hearing._

"_**Duh**__." Jess rolled her eyes._

"_She was in love with you," Milo said, shaking his head._

"_Now, if that's all," Jess said, and turned back to Milo, kissing him._

Randy jerked awake and gasped for breath. He couldn't believe what he'd just dreamed, but he knew that he had some thinking to do before he left on his flight to Costa Rica the next day.

* * *

**So, I actually hated writing this chapter, I don't really know why. I think it has to do with the fact that my computer deleted my ENTIRE story, which I had like three additional chapters I hadn't posted yet saved on. So, I had to retype it, sorry if it wasn't very good, I was in a bad mood. ANYWAYS, the dream that Randy had was based on the episode _Victor/Victrola _of _Gossip Girl_ (it's episode 7, of the first season), where Dan has a dream about Serena and Nate. SO, that's where that came from. The next chapter will be better, I hope. Thank you for all the reviews, and please, please keep it up ! (:  
**


	10. NINE

**CHAPTER NINE.**

Jill was surprised when she came down the stairs and already found her middle son sitting at the counter.

"Randy! What are you doing up already?" She asked, as she grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee.

"Couldn't sleep." Randy responded slowly.

"Nervous and excited for your trip?" Jill asked.

Randy made a vague motion with his head, "Yeah, and also… I had this dream, and I'm trying to figure out what it meant."

"What did you dream about?" Jill sat next to her son and looked at him expectantly.

"I had a dream about Jess," Randy sighed, "I think it has to do with the fact that Brad said if I don't talk to her, I might lose her forever."

Jill nodded, slightly surprised that her eldest son had come up with the idea. It wasn't that she didn't think Brad was intelligent, it was just she didn't think he thought situations through that thoroughly.

"So, I had this dream, and Jess was with Milo, this guy from school who's into her." Randy explained.

Jill nodded slowly, "Okay, well. Brad raises a really good point, Randy… how did this dream make you feel?"

"Mad." Randy replied simply.

"Mad at Jessica?" Jill asked.

Randy looked thoughtful, before shaking his head, "No, mad at Milo."

"Why were you mad at Milo?"

Randy continued looking thoughtful, "Because… I was losing Jess." He looked at his mother, "I'm scared of losing Jess."

"So what are you going to do, Randy?" Jill looked at him expectantly.

"I have to talk to Jess." He stated.

* * *

It was barely 8 AM when Randy walked next door and knocked on the James' front door.

The door was pulled open, and on the other side, Veronica appeared, looking surprised. "Randy? What are you doing here this early?"

"Is Jess here?"

"Um," Veronica looked hesitant.

"Please, Veronica, I really have to talk to her. I know I hurt her feelings, but I won't hurt her feelings again, but I need to talk to her. I don't care if I have to climb up to her bedroom window, but if I don't talk to her, I might not be able to leave for Costa Rica!"

"Randy, honey, breathe!" Veronica exclaimed, "Listen, I would let you in to see Jessica, but she isn't here right now. She left for a run with Nick about a half an hour ago, and they made it sound like they were going to be gone for awhile," She looked sadly at him, "I'm sorry. But I'll tell her that you stopped by, and I'll send her right over."

"Forget it," Randy shook his head, "Just… tell her I said I'm sorry, and that if she gets home before 2, to give me a call or something."

Veronica nodded, "Okay, sweetie."

And with that, Randy walked back to his own house, feeling worse than before.

* * *

Jess jogged into the house with Nick around 1:30. They had gone for a long run, stopped for lunch, and then ran back.

She walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water, and she found her mother sitting at the table.

"Hey, Mom." Jess greeted.

"Hi, Jessie," Veronica smiled sadly.

Jess looked at her mother strangely, "What's up? You look weird."

"Randy stopped by." Veronica sighed.

Jess stared at her, "Excuse me?"

"Randy came over early this morning, just after you left." Veronica said, "He wanted to talk to you."

"I hope you told him to take that request and shove it—"

"I told him you weren't home, Jessica," Veronica talked over the end of her daughter's sentence, "And that poor boy looked as though his heart was breaking."

"Yeah, well, he has a whole year away with Lauren to get over that," Jess said bitterly.

"Jessica," Veronica sighed, "Here," She handed her a VHS tape, "Randy brought this over before he left for the airport, I think you should watch it."

Jess rolled her eyes, but took the tape. Once she got to her bedroom, she pushed it into the VCR.

Randy's face came into focus, and he started speaking:

"_Hey, Jessie, it's me, Randy… that much was probably pretty apparent by now, huh? And I know, you're thinking "God, Randy Taylor, you're such a doofus". It's true. I am a doofus._" He nodded, "_I just thought that I should make you a tape to say all the things I've been meaning to say these past few weeks, but haven't been able to._

"_I came to your house this morning to say all this in person, but you were out running with Nick. You health nut, you. Anyway, the real point of this tape: We got into a really big, really stupid argument a couple of weeks ago and… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Jess. You're my best friend in the world, and me, making you feel like you came second, or making you think I would pick Lauren over you… it wasn't fair._

"_I wish I'd apologized earlier, then we could've spent more time together before I left for Costa Rica. I know you're probably really mad I'm leaving without saying goodbye in person, and you have a good reason to be so angry about that. I don't want to be the second person in your life to do that, Jess. So, first: I'm sorry. You don't come second. You're my best friend in the world, and I don't know what I'd do without you. _

"_And second: I'll call you when I get to Costa Rica. We can call, and write, and everything, and I'll be home before you know it. Bye, Jessie._"

* * *

"_Flight 557 will now begin boarding through gate 17_."

Randy looked around at his family and felt his heart clench up. "Well, I guess this is it."

Tim avoided looking at his son, and nodded, "Yeah."

Mark cleared his throat, "Have a good trip, Randy."

"Thanks, Mark," Randy nodded, walking towards his younger brother.

"And, uh, here's a video I made of you and Jess doing your _Star Wars _impersonations." Mark handed him the VHS tape.

Randy shook his head, "You're a very odd boy." He smiled slightly, "But I'm gonna miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you too." Mark nodded, and the two of them hugged.

"Now, you," Randy looked at his older brother, "I'm not gonna miss so much."

Brad grinned, "Have a good trip, buddy. And, uh, save a tree for me, huh?"

Randy hugged his older brother, "You got it." When Brad released him, he turned to Tim, "Dad?"

"Well, I got you a little present," Tim brought out a tape recorder, "So you can record your thoughts in the jungle and send them back to us. We've put some stuff on there like this," He pushed the play button, and Jill's voice chirped, "_Wear your sun block, don't forget to write_." Tim shook it again, and his own voice said, "_Never look a monkey in the eye_."

Randy chuckled, but felt tears in his eyes, "Thanks, Dad."

"Mm-hmm." Tim nodded, and pulled him into a hug.

When they broke apart, Randy looked to his mother, knowing this would be the hardest goodbye. When he looked at Jill, he wondered what it would be like if Jess was here. He wondered if everyone would be so solemn if she was here, or if she'd be crying like his mother looked like she was about to.

"Mom?" He managed.

Jill smiled weakly, "I'm fine, I'm fine. Um, I packed you some snacks in your backpack, in case you don't like the food on the plane. There's celery, there's carrots… or if you want, you can mix them together, and there's celery _and_ carrots."

"Mom," Randy's eyes filled with tears.

"I love you," Jill said, shaking her head, and hugging her son.

Randy smiled weakly, "I love you too."

"You have a great time." Jill said, crying, "And don't forget to write. Call when you get there… Call _before_ you get there!"

Randy was almost to the gate, and he turned around, grinning, "Or I could open the emergency door and just yell out the plane."

"Oh, Taylor, for some reason, I don't think that would be a very good idea,"

Randy's heart stopped. He had to do a double take to make sure he wasn't imagining things. No, he wasn't, Jess was actually there. She looked tired and out of breath, but she was there.

"Jess," He breathed.

"Hey," She nodded at him, "Sorry I couldn't be here sooner, but Nick broke so many traffic laws getting here before you got on the plane, it's a miracle he didn't get pulled over."

Randy cracked a grin, "I'll have to thank him for almost tarnishing his perfect record."

Jess grinned weakly too, before she surprised him, and hugged him tightly. "Randy, I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"Jessie," Randy shook his head, "Don't worry about it. I'm over it, are you?"

Jess nodded her head against his shoulder, and then loosened her grip on him slightly, "Okay, so," She flipped open her bag, "I brought you two things," She handed him an envelope, and Bailey, the stuffed pig.

"Jess, I can't take Bailey." Randy said, shaking his head. "He's yours."

"He's ours, Randy, and you should take him," Jess nodded, her eyes filling with tears, "To remember me."

"I don't need a pig to remember you," Randy informed her.

Jess smiled, tears spilling over her cheeks, "Now, I want you to have the _best_ time ever, in Costa Rica. Make sure you save lots of trees, and wild animals, and write to me, all the time." She nodded, "And don't go making a new best friend."

"Impossible," Randy informed her.

"I'll be here when you get back," Jess said, her voice breaking.

"I know," Randy pulled her close and hugged her tightly, "You take care of yourself."

"I always do," He could feel Jess smiling weakly through her tears. "Now, you better go and get on that plane and have a great time, okay?"

Randy nodded, "You got it," He squeezed her tightly once more, "I'll see you in a year, okay?"

Jess nodded and backed away from him, "Bye, Randy."

Randy put up his hand in a wave, "Bye, Jess."

* * *

**Aw, an emotional chapter. I really enjoyed writing this actually, because a lot of the time, I don't do the whole emotional thing. The beginning of the airport scene was dialogue taken right from the episode _Adios_, so I don't take credit for that. ANYWAY, I've been writing for this story pretty much nonstop, so I have a good six or seven more chapters, and I'll probably be updating a lot because of that (: Thank you guys so much for the reviews, they make me smile! Please keep it up (:**


	11. TEN

**CHAPTER TEN.**

_**Three Months Later.**_

Randy was nervous to be going home for the first time in three months. He knew a lot had changed. He called Jess once every two weeks, wrote her every week, and did everything he possibly could to stay in touch with home. He knew that his uncle Marty, and his two little cousins, Gracie and Claire, were living in the Taylor house, and that was probably going to change the mood of the holiday.

He pushed the door to the house open, and exclaimed a simple greeting of, "_Feliz Navidad_, everybody!"

"Hey!" Tim looked stunned but happy to see him. He pulled his son into a hug, and then released him.

Jill said "Oh my God", seven or eight times before she reached him, and then said, "Randy! What are you doing here? Oh my God! I sent all your presents to Costa Rica!"

"That's okay, don't worry," Randy assured them, as his mother gave him a bone-breaking hug. "Well, Lauren had some extra Aeroplan points, and I figured, "Hey! I can't spend Christmas without my mom and dad!","

"Excellent!" Tim exclaimed, clapping him on the back.

"He gets to spend Christmas with his mom _and_ dad?" Claire said, looking upset, before dashing off.

"Claire, wait!" Gracie ran off after her twin sister.

"I'll be right back," Jill sighed, shaking her head, and going to tend to her nieces.

"It's their first Christmas since the separation," Tim explained, "It's kind of rough for them."

Randy nodded, showing he understood, when the door swung open.

"Dad, you better come quick, Baby Jesus is smoking!" Brad exclaimed.

"Oh, no!" Tim shook his head, "And, hey, look, Randy's here!"

"Hey, man!" Brad was about to hug him, when Tim yelled, "BRAD!"

"I gotta go," Brad said hastily, running back outside.

Randy was only alone a few moments, when Mark came inside, "Oh, _hey_, Randy!"

Randy opened his arms for a hug, but he was left hanging, as Tim yelled, "Mark! Grab the fire extinguisher!"

Mark sped past him, into the garage and on his way out, he said, "Welcome home!" Before running outside.

Randy dropped his hands to his side, and sighed. "Merry Christmas, Randy. Would you like a cookie?" He moved towards the counter, "Gee, thanks, don't mind if I do."

He was suddenly feeling a little less enthusiastic about being home for the holidays.

* * *

After watching his brothers pretend to clean his room, Randy said, "Hey, you wouldn't know if Jess is home, would you?"

Mark and Brad exchanged a look, which Randy didn't understand, and Brad said, "I don't know, man, I know Veronica's home though, so you could go over and see."

Randy nodded, and grabbed his winter coat, before going up the stairs.

"Where are you headed off to, sweetie?" Jill asked, looking at her son, and smiling.

"I'm gonna go see if Jess is home." Randy replied.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure she isn't. I think she might be up at the school, helping to set up for the Christmas pageant." Jill replied.

"She's helping set up for the Christmas pageant?" Randy repeated, looking confused.

Jill nodded, "Uh-huh, her and that girl, Jenny Higgins? They volunteered to help out."

"Oh, okay," Randy felt disappointed. He was really looking forward to see Jess. He was just going to have to wait, he supposed.

"Do you want to help me make cookies in the mean time?" Jill asked.

"Okay," Randy nodded, he was about to start helping her, when Tim yelled, "JILL! I need some help! And bring the first-aid kit!"

"Oh, sweetie, I'll be right back," Jill sighed, and then Randy was alone, again.

He'd come home so that he could spend time with his family, and his best friend, but it seemed like all he'd been doing since he got home was _not_ spending time with them.

* * *

Randy came upstairs, ready to iron his sports coat for church that night, when he felt his jaw drop. In the kitchen, leaning against the counter was a girl, a girl he was _sure_ he'd never seen before. She was wearing a pale blue jumper that hugged her curves, and white leggings.

"There he is!" Jill exclaimed.

When the girl turned around, Randy felt his heart stop. It was _Jess_. Her long, curly hair hung around her face, her usually bitten, jagged fingernails were manicured, and… was that _makeup_? Suddenly, the look exchanged by Brad and Mark made total and complete sense.

Jess actually physically squealed, before launching herself at him, and hugging him tightly.

Randy was a little bit stunned, not just because she was hugging him so tightly he could hardly believe his tomboy best friend was dressed like a girl.

"I can't believe you came home and didn't tell me, you big jerk!" Jess exclaimed, loosening her grip on him long enough to hit him on the arm before hugging him again.

"It was a last minute thing, Jessie, what can I say?" Randy felt kind of breathless.

"It doesn't matter," Jess shrugged, and let go of him, "I can't believe you're home! I missed you _so_ much!" Her curls were bouncing as she bobbed her head excitedly.

"I missed you too," Randy nodded, smiling at her. "I was going to come right over to see you, but Mom said you were helping out at the school for the Christmas pageant."

Jess nodded, "Yeah, Ms. Waller recruited me after you left. Jenny and I decided it would look pretty good on a resume too."

"Good point." Randy nodded.

"Anyways, I have to head over there soon, but Nick mentioned you were home and I _had_ to come and see you! You guys are coming to watch the pageant tonight, right?" Jess looked from Randy to Jill expectantly.

Jill nodded, "You betcha! We bought the tickets first day they came out!" She looked at Randy, "And we have an extra one. We bought it for Al, but he can't come."

"Great," Randy smiled.

"And we can hang out after?" Jess looked at him expectantly as she pulled on her coat.

"For sure,"

"Good," Jess smiled, as she pulled on her coat, "I can't wait to hear all about Costa Rica."

Randy smiled, "See you then, Jess."

"Do you need a ride to the school, honey?" Jill asked.

"Nope, Jenny's coming to get me," Jess replied, "See you guys at the school!"

When Jess left, Randy looked at Jill, "Who's Jenny?"

"Oh, you know, Jenny Higgins." Jill said, "You and Jess went to preschool with her."

"I didn't know she and Jess got along," Randy remarked.

Jill shrugged, "Well, after you left, Jess didn't want to hang around Milo so much," Randy's heart fluttered at this, he wasn't quite sure why. Jill continued, "So she started hanging around Jenny, and Jenny's the force who got Jessica to give up ripped jeans and her brother's t-shirts." She smiled slightly, "She's a really sweet girl. Brad's taken her on a couple of dates," She caught the look her son was giving her, and said, "Jess didn't replace you."

"I wasn't thinking that," Randy lied.

"Of course you weren't," Jill nodded, smiling faintly, "Just give Jenny a chance, she's really nice. You never know, the two of you might get along."

Randy shook his head, "I doubt it."

* * *

**This chapter was a lot of fun to write, I'm not really sure why, haha. (: Anyways, thank you guys so much for all the reviews, they're making me so happy! Just to let you all know, I now have photos of all the original characters used in this story on my profile, under _The Best Girl _characters, so check them out! (: Also, I'm going away for the weekend, so I may be able to update at some point tomorrow morning, but most likely it won't be until Sunday. Thank you again for all the reviews, please keep it up! (:  
**


	12. ELEVEN

**CHAPTER ELEVEN.**

Jess was the MC for the Christmas pageant. She was responsible for herding the kids on stage, and off stage, and reading the introductions to each of the scenes.

Randy, for some reason, found himself staring at her. She looked really pretty, wearing all black, and her long curly hair in a ponytail. And she looked _so_ different, he could hardly believe she was the same person he'd left at the airport three months ago.

After the pageant, Randy found Jess standing in the hallway, with a pretty blonde girl, with curly hair and golden hazel eyes. She had played the Ghost of Christmas Past, and she was still wearing the over-dramatic make-up that went with that.

"Randy!" Jess smiled at him, "Did you have a good time?"

Randy nodded, "Oh, yeah. And you were great."

Jess rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling. "You know Jenny, right?"

Randy shook his head, "I don't think I do."

"Well, Jenny Higgins, this is my _best_ friend in the whole world, Randy Taylor," Jess introduced, "Randy, this is the fabulous Jenny Higgins,"

"Hey," Jenny smiled at him, her dark red lipstick making her teeth seem almost phony, they were so white. "It's nice to finally meet you, Jess never shuts up about you."

Jess looked slightly embarrassed, and Randy said, "It's nice to meet you too."

Jenny looked as though she was going to say more, when Brad came over, grinning, "Hey, you were great, Jess!"

"Thanks, Brad," Jess smiled.

"No problem," Brad shrugged, and then looked at Jenny, "Hey, Jen."

"Hey, Brad." Jenny smiled at him.

"You have any plans for the evening?" He asked casually.

"That all depends," Jenny said, bobbing her head thoughtfully. "What do you have in mind?"

Brad and Jenny said a quick goodbye, before they walked off together, and Jess mimed gagging.

"Do they do that a lot?" Randy asked, chuckling.

"All the time," Jess groaned, "It's nauseating, really."

Randy laughed, "Well, I guess it could be worse."

"Oh, really?" Jess raised an eyebrow at him, "How so?"

"I can't really think of anything right now," Randy said after a thoughtful silence, grinning.

Jess laughed, a sound that made Randy's heart flip again, causing him to be even more confused. She looked at him, "Do you wanna get out of here?"

Randy nodded, "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

15 minutes later, the two were walking, side-by-side, to the Taylor home for the annual Christmas Eve celebration that happened between the Taylor's and James'.

"So, I bet Costa Rica is really wild, huh?" Jess pulled on a pair of white mittens, and grinned at him.

Randy shrugged, "I don't know if I'd say _wild_, Jess. It's more like… really educational."

"Then I wouldn't like it at all," Jess said, grinning.

Randy laughed, "I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to," Jess was laughing too. "You really like it there, though, right?"

Randy nodded, "Yeah. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm so lucky to have it."

"You deserve it, Randy," Jess nodded, "I mean, saving the environment is something you've cared about since middle school, and out of anyone, you should get the chance to help save it yourself."

Randy smiled, "You really think so?"

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't," Jess replied. "I bet it's really hot there."

"Oh, yeah," Randy nodded, "No snow there."

"You must be freezing right now, then," Jess said, looking at him.

Randy was going to say no, and then he realized that Jess was right. He _was_ freezing.

"Come here, you big baby," Jess stopped and faced him. She untied her white scarf and leaned towards him to loop it around his neck. "There," She said, "Better?"

Jess was standing _very _close to him, he realized, and he also realized that he never noticed how pretty she was until now. She'd pulled her hair out of her ponytail so it was hanging over her shoulders, and her brown eyes were shining in the dim moonlight.

"Yeah," Randy finally replied, feeling kind of breathless, "Thanks, Jess."

Jess smiled, revealing her dimples, "No problem,"

"So, what's new around here?" Randy asked, as they started to walk again.

"Nothing," Jess shook her head, still smiling, "Nothing ever changes here. I mean, other than your uncle and your cousins moving into your house, and Nick thinking he might want to go to UCLA."

"Yeah, that's where Brad's thinking of going too." Randy nodded.

"Big surprise, they're sticking together," Jess shook her head, grinning.

"Yeah, they're almost as inseparable as us," Randy agreed.

Jess shot him a smile, and then said, "Let's see, what else… Jenny and you brother," She mocked puking again, and then looked thoughtful, "Oh, yeah, and I kicked Jason Morgan right where it hurts."

"Seriously?! And I _missed_ it?" Randy asked, "When did this happen?"

"A couple of weeks ago," Jess shook her head, "Jenny and I were at my locker, and he came over and started giving me a hard time about the Christmas semi-formal. I told him I didn't want to go with him, and he wouldn't take no for an answer."

"So you kicked him?" Randy looked extremely amused.

"Well, technically, I _kneed_ him. But it hurt him either way, and he got the idea." Jess nodded.

Randy laughed, "Man, I wish I had been there."

"I wish you had been there too," Jess agreed softly. The two were silent for a few moments, and Jess said, "So, your mom said that you came back with Lauren?"

Randy had been waiting for this to come up, and hoping it wouldn't. He nodded, "Yeah, she had some extra points, and I didn't want to pass up a chance to come home for the holidays."

"Oh," Jess nodded slowly, looking down at her feet.

"Listen, Jess, Lauren and I—"

"Jess!" Jenny and Brad pulled up beside them, and Brad said, "Are you coming home?"

Randy and Jess both nodded, and Jenny said, "Hop in, we're headed that way anyway."

Randy was hoping for some reason not to get in the car, so that he could continue his conversation with Jess, but nothing came to mind. So, he and Jess climbed into the back seat of Jenny's car, and the four drove off, towards the Taylor house, leaving Randy to feel even more confused than he had been in the first place.

* * *

**Okay, I'm back! I'll be updating regularly now (like, once every two days or so, to give people a chance to review (: !). Thank you guys so much for the last reviews, they make me smile! Please keep it up (:**


	13. TWELVE

**CHAPTER TWELVE.**

The next day was Christmas day, and Randy was determined to get some time alone to talk to his mother, so that she could get some advice on the Jess situation. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on with the two of them, but he knew that their friendship wasn't how it normally was.

"Randy, I wasn't expecting to see you up until later," Jill said, looking surprised as she spotted her son sitting at the counter.

"Yeah, I've got a lot on my mind," Randy nodded. "Merry Christmas, Mom,"

"Merry Christmas, sweetie," Jill kissed him on the cheek, "I'm so glad you came home for the holidays. We've missed you _so_ much around here."

"I've missed you guys a lot too," Randy nodded.

"So, what's on your mind?" Jill looked at him expectantly.

"Well, Mom, I've just been thinking a lot since I got home, because whenever I'm around J—"

"Presents!!" Gracie and Claire came flying down the stairs, with Marty Taylor close behind.

"Don't open any presents yet, girls!" He exclaimed, "Hey, Merry Christmas, guys," Marty said, grinning at Randy and Jill.

"Merry Christmas, Marty," Jill smiled, and then looked at Randy, "Can we talk later, sweetie?"

"Yeah, Mom, for sure." Randy nodded, and as soon as his mother was over by the tree, he sighed. He knew that the holidays were a time for family togetherness, but he was kind of wishing that someone in his family would just focus on him for a little while.

* * *

Randy was outside, watching Gracie and Claire play, when Jess came flying over from next door. It was barely 8 AM, but it wasn't surprising that Jess was already awake. She was always woke up at the crack of dawn on Christmas.

She practically tackled Randy, "Merry Christmas!" She said breathlessly.

"Merry Christmas," Randy returned, in a slightly strained sounding voice. Jess was hugging him very tightly.

When she released him, Randy realized she was basically glowing. She was still wearing her pink flannel pajamas under her black winter coat, but that didn't seem to dampen her happiness.

"Had a good morning, have you?" Randy grinned at her, slightly amused.

Jess nodded excitedly, "Yes, I've had a _great_ morning! Fantastic, even."

"What made it so fantastic, Jessie?" Randy asked.

"The fact that my mother bought me two tickets for myself and a certain best friend of myself to the one and only, rock _gods_ who are known as Aerosmith." Jess said, her voice getting shriller as she got nearer to the end.

"You're joking!" Randy exclaimed, "That's amazing, Jess! When is it?"

"June, so you can go," Jess looked at him, expectantly, "Right?"

"Um, I don't know when I get back from Costa Rica," Randy said awkwardly, "But I'm sure that I'll be back in time to go."

"You better be," Jess nodded seriously. "Did you get any of your presents?"

Randy shook his head, "Nah, they're all in Costa Rica, apparently."

"Yeah," Jess nodded sadly, "Unfortunately, the gift that would've made your entire _life_ is in Costa Rica too."

"I'm assuming you're talking about your gift, hm?" Randy raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, _duh_." Jess rolled her eyes. "Who else would I be talking about?" She raised her hands, and Randy caught sight of a silver bracelet.

"Good point," Randy said absently, "Nice bracelet."

"Huh? Oh, thanks," Jess pulled her jacket sleeve over it, as though she was hiding it from him.

"Who'd you get it from?" Randy asked.

"Um," Jess suddenly looked hesitant, "Milo gave it to me for Christmas." She looked down at her hands before looking at Randy, biting her lip.

"Oh," Randy felt his stomach clench, feeling slightly angry. "That's a pretty extravagant gift."

"I guess so," Jess looked embarrassed, "I didn't _ask_ him for it, Randy,"

Randy suddenly felt badly for lashing out at his best friend, "I know you didn't, Jess. Sorry. I just…" He shook his head, "It's Christmas, let's not talk about this right now."

Jess nodded, "Okay." Then she suddenly looked slightly surprised, "Oh, I almost forgot!" She fished her hand into her coat pocket, "I wrote this for you, because you don't get your presents until you go back." She handed him an envelope, and Randy grinned. He loved reading letters from Jess.

"Thanks," He said, "I'll have to write you one back, even though…"

"Even though…?" Jess echoed, looking expectant.

"I may or may not have your present downstairs," Randy said casually. "But, if I do, you can't have it yet."

"Randall Taylor, you can't just _drop_ something like that on me!" Jess hit his arm, "Give me."

"I'm supposed to stay out here and watch my cousins while they play," Randy said shaking his head, "They're young, who knows how long they'll be. They could be hours, and I couldn't _possibly_ leave them alone,"

"You're a jerk," Jess said, "I'm not ever going to be your friend after this," She turned away from him and crossed her arms over her chest, her nose in the air.

"Now, now, I don't believe _that_, Jessie girl," Randy moved closer to her, "You could _never_, _ever_ not be my friend," He put his hands on her waist, and began tickling her lightly, "We're _best_ friends, right, Jessie?"

Jess was writhing, and vibrating with laughter, "Let me go, Randy, I'm mad at you."

"I'm not letting you go until you say we're best friends," Randy said, shaking his head, still tickling her.

"No way," Jess laughed.

"Jessica," Randy tickled her harder.

Jess whipped around so that she was facing him. Their faces were only inches apart, and he stopped tickling her. "Fine," Jess breathed, "Fine. You're my best friend, Randy."

"For how long?" Randy cocked his head to the side.

"Not for much longer if you tickle me like that again," Jess replied, grinning wickedly.

"Wrong answer, Jess," Randy started tickling her again, and Jess exclaimed, "Fine! You win, Randy! You're my best friend _forever_!"

"There we go." Randy stopped tickling her.

"Now, was that really necessary?" Jess asked, her brown eyes glimmering in the sunlight.

"Hmm," Randy looked thoughtful, before nodding, "Yes."

"Why?" Jess asked.

"Because it was fun?" Randy offered.

"Jerk," Jess rolled her eyes, "Torturing me is your idea of fun?"

"Nah," Randy shook his head, "I just wanted to make sure you were still my best friend, even though I'm a jerk."

"You've always been a jerk." Jess said simply.

"Uh, _ouch_." Randy said.

Jess shrugged, "It's a fact."

"So, was there a point to that?" Randy asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah," Jess nodded, "You've always been a jerk, and you've always been my best friend. So you being a jerk now… it doesn't really change anything." She poked him in the chest, "_Duh_."

Randy suddenly realized his hands were still resting on her waist, so he dropped them, and then rolled his eyes, "You're really mean, you know that?"

"Oh well," Jess shrugged, "You're stuck with me."

"Lucky me," Randy said sarcastically.

Jess rolled her eyes, and began walking towards her house, "Well, _jerk_, I'm going home. Jack's making chocolate chip pancakes, and I'm not missing them to freeze my ass off out here with you."

"Oh, thanks, Jess,"

"No problem," Jess walked backwards, "Want me to bring you a plate later?" Everybody knew that Jess' oldest brother, Jack, made the _best_ chocolate chip pancakes.

"If it's not too much trouble," Randy nodded, "If you're lucky, I'll give you your present!"

Jess made a face at him, "I'll see you at lunch time, Taylor."

"See you then," Randy nodded. When he turned around to watch Claire and Gracie, who were in the process of making a _huge_ snowman, he found himself feeling confused again. He wondered what exactly was going on with him, and why it always happened when Jess was around.

* * *

Jess brought over the plate of pancakes, as promised, just after lunchtime. She, again, was dressed like a girl, wearing a fuzzy white scoop neck sweater, and black skinny jeans. She handed them to Randy, "Jack says he hopes you like them, and if not, don't tell him."

"That was kind of him," Randy remarked, grinning slightly.

"Oh, I know," Jess nodded. She sat beside him, and Randy noted she was still wearing the silver bracelet.

He didn't say anything, though, he just slid a skinny box down the counter.

Jess looked down at the box at then up at him, "What's this?"

"What do you think it is?" Randy shook his head, "It's your Christmas present, dummy."

"Ooh, really?" Jess mocked looking surprised, "What is it?" She looked genuinely interested.

"Open it and you'll find out." Randy responded.

Jess tore the paper open, and slid the box open. When she realized what was inside, she gave a small gasp, "Randy, it's beautiful."

Randy grinned. It was a necklace he had purchased in Costa Rica. It was a cloth string, with a star carved out of wood as the charm, as soon as he had seen it, he had thought of Jess, and bought it for her.

"Do you want me to tie it on for you?" Randy asked.

Jess nodded, and handed him the necklace. Randy walked around behind her, and carefully pushed her hair over her shoulders. He tied the cloth in a knot, and then lightly placed the necklace on her skin. "There,"

Jess turned around, and again, they were _very_ close. She touched the charm softly, and then looked at him, "How does it look?"

Randy felt his heart fluttering unnaturally, and he managed to say, "Beautiful."

Jess raised her eyebrows at him, "Huh?"

"It looks great," Randy recovered, "Do you like it?"

Jess nodded, "I love it, it's perfect."

"I thought you'd like it," Randy nodded, smiling slightly.

"Oh, yeah? And why is that?" Jess cocked her head to the side.

Randy glanced down at his feet before looking back at her, and said, "As soon as I saw it, I thought of you."

"You're the best, Randy, honestly," Jess hugged him tightly, and Randy felt the air in him get swept away.

He hugged her back, and murmured, "You're pretty great too."

* * *

**So, I updated tonight for two reasons, one: I got 6 reviews last night, thank you all for them (:, and two: there's a pretty high chance I may have to go out of town for a funeral soon, so I'm going to try and update as often as I can. Thanks again for the reviews, please keep it up.**


	14. THIRTEEN

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN.**

Over the next few days, Randy tried to understand why he was inexplicably attracted to Jess. She was his best friend, he shouldn't be thinking about her like _that_.

One day, he was outside helping his dad take down the Christmas lights, when Jess' brother, Jack, pulled into the driveway of the James' home, with Jess in the passengers seat.

"You and Jess don't seem to be spending as much time together as I thought you would," Tim remarked.

"Yeah, I know," Randy nodded, "It's kind of weird. Things just seemed to have changed a lot since I left."

"Are you talking about the fact that Jessica's dressing like a _girl_ now, or that she's spending a lot of time with Jenny?" Tim asked.

"A bit of both, I guess." Randy replied. "It just seems like ever since I got back from Costa Rica, things between me and Jess have been different."

"Well, different how?" Tim looked confused. He didn't really understand how three months could change anything between his son and his best friend.

"I don't really know how to explain it, Dad," Randy sighed, "It's just like, every time Jess comes around, I don't know what to say or what to do anymore. It's just weird."

Tim nodded slowly, "Well, Randy, I don't really know what to tell you." He stopped winding the strand of Christmas lights around his hand, and looked at his son, "To me, it sounds a little bit like maybe your feelings for Jess have changed."

"What do you mean?" Randy asked, wrinkling his nose.

Tim hesitated, before saying, "Well, this is just my opinion, but maybe, just maybe, you leaving and coming back from Costa Rica has made you realize how you feel about Jess."

"Well, she's my best friend," Randy said.

"Yeah, I know that," Tim nodded, "I'm just saying… have you ever thought that you might like her as _more_ than that?"

Randy was silent, and Tim said, "Remember, this is just me talking. Maybe you'd better talk to your mom about this, you know… feelings and stuff aren't exactly my area of expertise."

"Yeah," Randy nodded absently, as Jess walked from the car to the house, and waved to him, "Thanks, Dad."

* * *

"Well, don't the boys just _love_ lining up to give you cute presents?" Jenny was laying on her stomach on Jess' bed, holding the shiny silver bracelet Milo had given Jess for Christmas.

"I don't really think a silver bracelet constitutes as _cute_," Jess said, shaking her head, as she put her laundry and presents away. "Expensive and over the top? _Maybe_." She nodded, "But _cute_? Not so much."

"I wasn't really talking about the bracelet," Jenny said, "I was more talking about the necklace that Randy gave you."

Jess' hand flew up and touched the star charm self-consciously, and Jenny said, "Look, Jess, I know you hate it when I bring this up, but… are you _sure_ you guys are just friends?"

"We've always been just friends, Jen." Jess replied, not looking at the blonde.

"Yeah, well, how about now?" Jenny asked, raising an eyebrow at her, "Jessica, I've _seen_ how that boy looks at you, and there is _no_ way he just wants to be your friend."

"Randy doesn't look at me in any particular way," Jess murmured, feeling her cheeks burning slightly. "Besides, even if he did, which he doesn't, there's the whole problem of _Lauren_."

Jenny made a face. She hated Lauren almost as much as Jess did. "Well, if Lauren decides she wants to be a little bitch, I can take care of her." She looked at Jess with her golden hazel eyes, "You shouldn't let her hold the two of you back from being an epic romance."

"We're _not_ an epic romance," Jess groaned, covering her face with her hands to hide the fact that she was blushing.

"Not yet, but you will be." Jenny said confidently, "Brad told me the first thing he asked about once he got home was whether or not you were around."

"Because we're best friends," Jess said, nodding.

"Nuh-uh," Jenny shook her head, "Because the two of you are _soul mates_."

Jess snorted, "Yeah, right, Jenny. You keep thinking that."

"Trust me, I _know_ what I'm talking about." Jenny nodded.

Jess just rolled her eyes, but she couldn't quite convince herself that Jenny was wrong.

* * *

That night, Jess and Randy were sitting on the roof of the Taylor house. They were supposed to be packing up Christmas decorations, but they had gotten distracted by watching the stars.

"So, are we going to do the Jess James/Randy Taylor tradition?" Randy asked, grinning at her.

Jess blew out a puff of air, watching it show in the cold air, and looked at him, "What, you mean where we rate our presents?"

Randy nodded, "Uh-huh."

"All right," Jess nodded, "You first. Best present?"

"I don't really know yet," Randy said, "I haven't opened many, because almost all of them are in Costa Rica. Your letter might be close to the top of the list though." He shot her a grin, and felt his heart flip as she laughed, "How about you?"

"It's a tie between my Aerosmith tickets," Jess said, "And the necklace."

"Jess, the necklace wasn't that much," Randy said, shaking his head.

"Maybe not to you," Jess said in a fair tone, "But it means a lot to me."

"Why?" Randy was slightly confused.

"I don't know," Jess shrugged, "Because it's from you." Her voice was soft, and careful.

"That makes it special?" Randy was surprised to hear how soft his own voice was.

Jess nodded, her curls bouncing slowly, "Yeah, of course it does, I mean…"

"Jessica!" Veronica's voice rang out from the back porch of the James house. "Jessica! I need you to come home right now!"

Jess and Randy exchanged a confused look, before they climbed off the roof, and Randy walked her to the back porch. Veronica was standing outside, her eyes were wide, and she was white as the snow that was on the ground.

"Mom, are you okay?" Jess asked, but she could tell from Veronica's expression that she wasn't.

"Jessica," Veronica's voice quivered, "Baby, there's been an accident."

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun! Dramatic cliff hanger, haha. I have to warn you, the next chapter isn't very uplifting, but it's pretty good (I think so at least). Thank you again for all your reviews, they mean a lot to me. Anyway, there are only three chapters after this left in _The Best Girl_, but I'm seriously considering writing a sequel. Ah, well. We'll see (: Please read and review!**


	15. FOURTEEN

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN.**

"An overdose," Jess felt numb, and though she was speaking she didn't feel like she was the one forming the words, "He overdosed."

Randy felt his heart breaking as he looked at Jess. Her brown eyes were glassy and she, like her mother, was white, and he feared she was going to faint. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. The only way he knew Jess felt it was by the way she laced her fingers through his and squeezed back.

Veronica nodded slowly, "Kathryn just called to tell me. I'm so sorry, baby,"

"Don't be," Jess felt like she was going to fall, she didn't know how to process what was being said. "It isn't your fault he's dead. He wasn't your problem anymore, right?"

"That doesn't change anything, Jess," Veronica said, "He was your father, and I'm sorry he didn't have the chance to make up for all the pain he caused it your life,"

"Whatever, Mom." Randy could tell that Jess was being mean to stop from crying.

Veronica nodded slowly, and gave Randy a look that clearly said _look after her_, before she went back inside the house.

"Jess," Randy wasn't quite sure what to say. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Jess said for a second time, "I'm not."

"Jess," He glanced at her sharply.

"I hate him," Jess wouldn't look at him. She was staring at the ground, but she was still holding his hand, "I hate him _so_ much, and just because he's dead… that's not going to change anything. I still hate him."

"Jessica," Randy looked incredulous.

"Don't tell me that I don't mean it, Randy, because I _know_ that I do." Jess' voice wasn't sad, it was angry, "I'm not going to pretend just because he screwed up."

Randy said nothing, he just wrapped an arm around her, and pretended nothing was wrong, because he knew that acting like she didn't care was just how Jessica coped.

* * *

2 days later, the Taylor family flew out to California for Jess' father's funeral. Jack met them at the airport and drove them to the hotel where they were staying, he explained that even though his father had been living in California for 5 years, and he owned a vineyard with his second wife, Kathryn, Veronica refused to stay there.

"Oh, and, uh, Randy," Jack pulled him aside when they reached the hotel, "My mom wanted me to warn you… you know how Jess gets when she's really hurting but she doesn't want to admit it?"

Randy nodded, "Yeah."

"Yeah, she's like that now," Jack informed him, "But worse. She's on a warpath, man, and I'd steer clear unless you're ready to deal with her wrath."

"I think I can handle it," Randy replied.

Jack smiled faintly, "You always could handle her," He paused, before clapping him on the back, "You're good for her."

"I like to think she's good for me too," Randy said.

Jack grinned, "She and my mom are sharing a room if you want to go see how she's doing."

"Thanks, Jack,"

"No problem."

* * *

A little while later, Randy knocked on the door to Jess' hotel room. Veronica pulled the door open a few moments later, her eyes were puffy and she looked tired, but she smiled when she saw Randy.

"You guys are here," Veronica smiled weakly, "That might put Jess in a better mood."

"Jack said she was at her worst," Randy said.

Veronica nodded, "That would be putting it lightly," She pushed the door open wider, "But I'll let you come in and see for yourself. I'll go and see your mother."

Randy nodded, and gave Veronica the room numbers, before walking into the room. He found the patio door open and walked through it. Jess was laying on a lounger, wearing a plain, black, two-piece bathing suit with large sunglasses.

"Hey," He greeted her.

Jess looked up from the book she was reading, and said, "Hey, when did you get here?" Her voice was flat and void of emotion.

"Our flight got in around 3," Randy replied, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Jess responded, "You?"

"I'm, um, okay." Randy wasn't sure how to handle Jess' indifference. He hated it when she hated like this, but he knew it was how she coped. "Do you want to talk about anything?"

"Not really, no." Jess shook her head, and flipped the page of her book.

Randy sat down next to her and sighed, knowing she could only keep up this act for so long.

* * *

The next day was the funeral. The James' and Taylor's drove out to Rob James' huge vineyard for the ceremony. Randy sat beside Jess, and held her hand the entire time, and was amazed she didn't cry. At the same time, though, he could believe it, seeing as Jess almost never cried.

After the funeral, Jack, Nick and Veronica went around and talked to family members, while Jess and Randy hung around on the patio, not saying much of anything. Veronica came over and sighed deeply, "I can't wait to go home."

"Me too," Jess agreed in a lame voice, "I hate it here."

"Jess, you're probably the only girl in the world who hates California," Randy said, shaking his head.

Jess cracked a tired grin, and Veronica also smiled weakly.

"Oh, Jessica, I was hoping I would see you," They turned around and found a pretty woman with dark red hair looking at them. Her blue eyes were puffier than Veronica's, but she seemed to be trying to act as though nothing was bothering her.

"Um, hi," Jess started fidgeting her hands, a sign she was feeling uncomfortable. She glanced at her mother, and the woman with the red hair said, "Hello, Veronica."

"Hello, Kathryn." Veronica said in a strained voice.

_Kathryn_? Randy's eyebrows shot up. As in Jess' stepmother, Kathryn? He could tell from the change in atmosphere since the woman had arrived that they were one in the same.

"It's good to see the two of you," Kathryn said politely. "Not under the conditions, but…"

Veronica's lips were pursed into a straight line, as she nodded, and Kathryn cleared her throat, "So, who's this?"

Randy realized she was talking about him, and Veronica said, "This is Jessica's best friend, Randy Taylor."

"Hi, Randy," She walked up to him, "Thank you for coming. I'm Kathryn James."

"Uh, hi," Randy greeted awkwardly, "I'm um… I'm just here for Jess."

Kathryn nodded slowly, and then looked at Jess, "Jessica, I'm so glad that you and your brothers could make it, your father would be so happy to—"

_Smack_.

Things happened so quickly that Randy was sure if he had blinked he would've missed what had just happened. Kathryn had been mid-sentence and Jess moved forward and smacked her across the face.

"Jessica!" Veronica exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Don't tell me that seeing me would make my father happy," Jess said in an even voice, "Because the two of us know that there's nothing more untrue."

And with that, she walked off.

"I'll go after her," Randy offered.

Veronica nodded, and then shook her head, "Thank you, Randy."

* * *

Randy found Jess sitting on a wooden swing, away from the house. He could tell, even from the distance he was at, that she was shaking from head to foot.

"Jessie?"

Jess looked at him, her brown eyes wide, "What do you want me to say, Randy?"

"I want you to tell me what's on your mind." Randy sighed as he sat next to her.

"That this whole thing is BS," Jess shook her head, "I mean, my dad… he wasn't a nice guy. He hurt a lot of people throughout his life, and now that he's dead everyone's acting like he was just like Mother freaking Teresa!"

"People do that when other people die," Randy nodded slowly, "It's just how life is, Jess."

After a brief silence, Jess spoke again, "You know, it's weird. Jack overdosed, trying to kill himself, when my parents were fighting so badly, and in the end, that's what killed my dad."

"Jess," Randy didn't want her talking about this.

"And, you know, I've spent a lot of my life hating him," Jess said slowly, "Hating him for what he did to my mom, what he did to Jack, how he left us without even saying goodbye, but now… I wonder what would've happened if I tried to stop hating him."

"Jess, you had a reason to be angry with him," Randy said fairly.

"I know," Jess nodded, "It's just… I wonder, you know?" Her eyes started welling up with tears, and she said, "He came to Detroit when you were in Costa Rica."

Randy looked at her sharply, "What?"

Jess nodded, biting her lip, "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't think it mattered. He came to Detroit, and knocked on our front door like it wasn't a big deal that the last time he was there, he left us for Kathryn, and he didn't even say goodbye."

"What did he say?" Randy wasn't sure he wanted to know. He'd never been very fond of Jess' father, especially after he'd walked out on the family, but he felt like he should ask anyway.

"I answered the door, and he said "Jessica, I feel like I should talk to you, I don't feel right about how we left things"." Jess' voice was breaking.

"What did you say, Jess?" Randy's voice was soft, and careful.

"I said "I hate you, and you can go to hell, Dad"." Jess started crying, "That's the last thing I ever said to him, Randy."

"Oh, Jess," Randy didn't know what to say to make her feel better. He didn't know if there was anything he _could_ say to make her feel better, so he just pulled her close and let her cry as much as she wanted.

* * *

**Ironically, I wrote this before I found out that I may have to go to a funeral. Anyways, this was a sad chapter for me to write, it brought up a lot of stuff for me, but I think I was able to put it to good use. I'm updating today, because I might not get home until late tomorrow (we're driving my brother out of town for a few weeks), but if I get home in time I'll update for sure. If anybody has any great ideas for the sequel, I'd be happy to take them into consideration! I have a few of my own ideas, but I don't know if I'll use them :P Thanks again for all the reviews, please keep it up! **


	16. FIFTEEN

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN.**

Jess flew home with Brad, Randy and Mark the next day, while her two brothers, her mother, Tim and Jill stayed in California for a few more days while everything was wrapped up.

She slept most of the flight home on Randy's shoulder, and Brad looked at Randy expectantly, "How is she holding up?"

"She's not great," Randy said softly. Jess had been up most of the night with Randy, crying and generally feeling horribly about the fact that the last words she'd said to her father had been "I hate you, and you can go to hell".

"You can't blame her, can you?" Mark looked at them expectantly, "I mean, her dad _died_."

"Yeah, I can't blame her." Randy nodded slowly.

"Can I ask you something, which is only slightly unrelated?" Brad asked.

"Uh, sure?"

"What's going on between the two of you?" Brad motioned from his younger brother to Jess.

Randy took a deep breath before saying, "I honestly don't know anymore, Brad." This was the first time he had been honest with himself, that he didn't know whether all he wanted to be was just friends with Jess, "Why do you ask?"

"Jenny and I were talking about it the other day," Brad responded, "We were just wondering if you guys were ever going to admit that you're meant to be together."

"Meant to be together?' Randy and Mark echoed in unison.

"Jen's words, not mine," Brad stated.

Mark snorted, "She's changing you, man."

"Shut up," Brad pushed his youngest brother, and then looked at Randy, "So? Are you two going to get together or what?"

"No," Randy shook his head, "I'm not risking our friendship for that,"

"The only thing you'd be risking is, like, marriage," Mark said, looking at Randy.

"Huh?" Randy looked at him blankly.

"Come on, dude, everybody's known the two of you would end up together in the end." Mark said. "If you two dated, the only thing you'd be risking is getting married and spending the rest of your life with her."

"Yeah," Brad agreed, "Even when you two were toddlers, Mom and Veronica were thinking the two of you were soul mates because they never saw two kids bond faster than you two."

Randy looked at Jess. She was curled up in her seat, her hand lightly gripping Randy's shirtsleeve as she slept soundly.

"I don't know, guys, what if she doesn't feel the same?"

* * *

When they got off the plane, Jess had a pained expression on her face.

"Are you okay? Randy asked.

"I have a stomach ache, that's all," Jess murmured. The right side of her abdomen was killing her. It wasn't her stomach, but she didn't know what else it could be.

"Probably just the plane food and stuff," Randy assured her.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Jess nodded. She touched her side tenderly, and frowned, hoping that she had either eaten something that upset her stomach, or bruised her side, but she wasn't sure that was it.

* * *

2 hours later, Randy knew that it must've been more than just airplane food that was making Jess feel sick. He realized she hadn't eaten anything on the plane, and ever since she'd arrived at the Taylor home, she'd been dozing on the couch. Every time she tried to move, she'd wince in pain, and she wouldn't eat anything, stating she felt sick to her stomach.

Jess was wrapped up in a thick quilt, and Randy decided to check if she had a fever. He pressed a hand to her forehead, and sighed. She was burning up.

"Jess," Randy shook her softly, hating to wake her, "Jess, are you feeling okay?"

Jess blearily opened her brown eyes, and then shook her head weakly.

"Does anything hurt?"

"Everything," Jess' voice was so soft that it worried Randy.

Randy took a deep breath, "Where did it start hurting, Jess?"

Jess touched her right side, close to her hipbone, gingerly, and a thought struck Randy. When they had been younger, Brad had gotten appendicitis, and, if Randy remembered correctly, his older brother had been feeling quite similarly to how Jess was at that moment.

"Jess, how long has your side been hurting you?"

"Since I left for California," Jess murmured, "I just thought it was because I was feeling badly about my dad, and jet lag, and stuff."

Randy nodded slowly, "Okay, um," He hesitated, "I think we have to take you to the hospital."

"I hate hospitals," Jess said softly.

"I know you do, Jessie, but if we don't take you, I don't think you're going to get any better," Randy glanced up at the sound of footsteps and found Brad entered the kitchen, "Brad, I need you to drive us to the hospital."

"Uh, okay," Brad looked concerned, "Why?"

"I think Jess might have appendicitis," Randy informed him.

Brad looked a little bit stunned for a moment, and then said, "Okay. Get Jess ready to leave, I'll grab my coat and meet you in the car."

"I don't want to go, Randy," Jess mumbled, as he helped her to put on her coat.

"You'll be fine, Jess," Randy reassured her, "I promise. The doctor's are going to make you feel better."

"I hate doctors," Jess stated.

"I know," Randy nodded, and helped her to the car, "I'll be there with you the whole time though, you'll be fine. The doctors will help you."

"As long as you're sure," Jess sighed.

Randy smiled weakly, "I'm sure."

* * *

"You're lucky you brought her here when you did, boys," Dr. Marshall was very pretty, and she barely looked old enough to be out of high school, with straight auburn hair and wide gray eyes. "Her appendix was just about to rupture when we got her into surgery."

"But she's okay now, right?" Randy had been worrying since the moment that Jess had left his sight.

The doctor nodded, "Yes, she is. She's sedated, but she should be fine, maybe a little groggy, she'll probably not be very hungry for a couple of days and might act a little out of it at first, but she'll be back to one-hundred percent in a week or two." She paused, "You said her mother's out of town?"

Brad nodded, "We just got back from her father's funeral."

"Oh, that's too bad," Dr. Marshall sighed, "Well, Jessica should probably spend the night here, just in case she reacts badly with the medication we have her on, but you can take her home first thing in the morning."

Randy and Brad both nodded, and the doctor continued, "If either of you have any questions, feel free to find me." She paused again, "And I must say, Jessica James is lucky to have to friends who look after her as well as the two of you."

She walked off, and Brad looked at Randy, "She's okay."

"Yeah, thank God." Randy breathed a sigh of relief. Only the two older Taylor boys had come to the hospital, Mark had decided to stay home in case their parents, or Veronica, happened to call.

"You can go in and see her if you want to, man," Brad told his younger brother.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Randy looked at him expectantly.

"Nah, I've gotta make some calls," Brad replied, "I'll call Mark and tell him that Jess is okay, get the number for Veronica's hotel room, get the number for Mom and Dad's hotel room, call Jenny…"

"All right," Randy nodded, "Come and get me when you're finished."

Brad nodded, "Sure thing." He got up and wandered off down the hall.

Randy stood up and sighed deeply, before entering Jess' hospital room. She was sound asleep against the big white pillows, but she looked quite healthier than she had on the way there.

Randy pulled a chair up to the side of Jess' bed, and sat down, hesitating, before grabbing her hand and squeezing it lightly, knowing that he'd be sitting there until Jess woke up.

* * *

The next afternoon, Jess' eyelids fluttered open, and it took her a few moments to realize where she was, before she looked at Randy and smiled sleepily, "Hi, Randy Taylor."

"Hey, Jessie James." Randy grinned lopsidedly at her, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Jess _looked_ tired too, but Randy didn't say so. "But I don't really feel like I'm bruised all over now."

"That's always good," Randy nodded, and chuckled weakly, "You look great."

"And you're a big fat liar," Jess told him, her voice soft.

"No, I'm not," Randy shook his head, "You do look great."

Jess rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling sleepily, "So, you were right. I was sick."

"I didn't want to be right," Randy informed her.

"That's a first," Jess chuckled weakly, and then looked seriously at him, "I'm going to miss you when you go back to Costa Rica."

Randy stopped smiling for a moment. His flight was to leave the next day, and he was quite sure it was going to kill him to leave Jess for a second time, especially after everything that had happened in the past week and a half.

"I don't have to go back, Jess," Randy said fairly.

"What do you mean?" Jess looked confused.

"I can stay home if that's what you want." Randy said, watching her carefully.

"What? No. No, no, no. I won't let you give up a huge opportunity like _Costa Rica_ for _me_." Jess shook her head.

"So you don't want me to stay home?" Randy asked.

Jess looked thoughtful, "I'd like it if you stayed home, but I don't want you to give up your dreams just to stay home and make sure I don't break."

"Jessica, that wouldn't be the only reason I'd be staying home," Randy began, but Jess interrupted him.

"I know, Randy," Jess nodded, "And I know that we have a lot to talk about, but I think it can wait for a couple more months, don't you?" She looked at him expectantly.

Randy nodded slowly, "I guess so, yeah."

"I don't want to be the one keeping you from doing what you love," Jess said, squeezing his hand.

"Jess, I—" Randy wasn't quite sure what was going to come spilling out of his mouth, and he may never have found out, because Veronica came bursting into the hospital room.

"Jessica Rae!" She exclaimed, "You nearly gave me a heart attack! Don't ever get sick like that again!"

"Mom, I thought you were in California," Jess remarked sleepily.

Veronica nodded, "Well, yes, but then Mark called the hotel to tell us that Brad had to take you to the hospital, and Tim, Jill and I hopped on the next flight to Detroit. I got here as soon as I could, sweetie." She looked at Randy, "Your parents wanted to go home and check on Mark, and maybe get some rest. They're going to come see Jess tomorrow, when I bring her home."

"Where are Jack and Nick?" Jess asked.

"They stayed in California for a little while," Veronica replied, "How are you feeling?"

"Sleepy." Jess responded.

"That's understandable." Veronica nodded, "You're just lucky you had Randy around to save you."

Jess tilted her head to look at Randy and smiled weakly, "He's always saving me."

Randy shrugged, feeling a little bit embarrassed, "It's my job, isn't it?"

Veronica smiled slightly, "Well, thank you, Randy, I don't know what Jess would do without you."

"Me neither," Jess agreed, smiling at him.

Randy smiled slightly, and then said, "Well, if you're okay, Jess, I think I'm going to go home and start packing for Costa Rica."

"Yeah, sure," Jess nodded, "I probably won't see you tomorrow, your flight's pretty early, right?"

Randy nodded, "Yeah, I have to be at the airport by seven."

"So, I guess I'll see you in June then," Jess said, nodding slowly.

"Yeah, I guess so," Randy nodded, and then gave Jess an awkward one-armed hug.

"Be careful, okay?" Jess murmured.

"I will be," Randy promised, "I'll talk to you soon."

"You better," Jess smiled at him, "Bye, Randy."

"Bye, Jessie."

* * *

**Only one more chapter after this! I'm pretty sure I'm going to write a sequel, though, I just need to get all my ideas in order (Thank you to everyone who's brainstorming, I can't wait to see your ideas!). Thank you again for all your reviews, they are great for me! Please keep it up! :)**


	17. SIXTEEN

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN.**

_**Four Months Later**_**.**

Randy had chosen to fly home early, in the end of May, instead of the middle of June, so that he could be home for Jessica's birthday. He wasn't really sure what was going on between himself and his best friend. Things had been weird when he'd come home for Christmas and he'd been thinking about her as maybe more than a friend, but being in Costa Rica, he'd thought some more, and decided he had no idea how he felt about Jess.

She hadn't said anything about it since that day in the hospital. They'd called each other frequently, and wrote, but Jess never mentioned what had been happening between them.

Brad picked up him at the airport, grinning, "Hey, man."

"Hey, how's it going?" Randy asked, hugging his brother.

"I'm pretty good, how are you?" Brad asked.

"I'm all right," Randy nodded, "You didn't tell Jess I was coming, did you?"

Brad shook his head, "No way, man, I'm as excited to see the expression on her face as you are."

Randy chuckled, and said, "How did you explain where you were going?"

"Jen's distracting her with a shopping trip while everyone else sets up for her party, and I pick you up," Brad responded.

"Ah, and how is dear Jenny?" Randy smirked slightly at his brother.

"She's good," Brad nodded.

"Are you two still… whatever it is the two of you are?" Randy raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Brad rolled his blue eyes, "For your information, Jenny and I have been official for three months now."

"Congratulations," Randy smiled.

"Thanks," Brad smiled also, and then said, "So, you and Jess are…?"

"Best friends," Randy supplied.

"So, you two haven't really had a serious conversation since you went back to Costa Rica, huh?" Brad glanced at him.

"What do you mean?" Randy asked.

Brad grinned slightly, before saying, "The day we went back to school from Christmas break, Jess gave Milo back the bracelet he gave her for Christmas."

"Really?" Randy looked surprised.

Brad nodded, "Yeah. He didn't look too happy about it either."

"Did she say why she was giving it back?" Randy asked casually.

"Well, she might have," Brad nodded, "I don't know what it was though, I was trying to get over the fact that Milo looked as though he was going to cry." He paused, "So, are you going to talk to her?"

"Well, I imagine, seeing as she _is_ my best friend, and it _is_ her birthday." Randy avoided what his brother was implying.

"Randy," Brad looked at him seriously.

"I don't know, Brad, I don't know what to say to her about _that_." Randy sighed.

"Well, "Hey, Jess, I need to talk to you about something serious" is a start," Brad offered, "Don't you think? And I mean, falling all over yourself and not making any sense at first is better than saying nothing at all, right?"

Randy thought over what his brother had said, and realized that Brad was right. Falling all over himself _would_ be better than saying nothing at all.

* * *

"I don't understand why we have to go shopping, Jen," Jess sighed, as Jenny dragged her through the mall. "Why couldn't I have just stayed home like I wanted to?"

"Because it's your sixteenth birthday, Jessica!" Jenny exclaimed, "I won't let you sit at home and mope around because Randy isn't here."

"I'm not moping," Jess stated.

"But you're not happy," Jenny pointed out.

Jess wasn't going to disagree with that. She _wasn't_ happy. She wanted Randy to be home more than anything, not just because it was her birthday, but because she missed him.

"You're right," Jess nodded, "I'm not happy,"

"Which is why I don't want you to be home by yourself," Jenny said, "So, we're out shopping. I'm not asking you to be happy, I'm just asking you to try and have a good time, okay?"

"Okay," Jess sighed, and forced a smile, "Let's try and have a good time, then."

* * *

To say that Jess was surprised when Jenny dragged her through the front door of the Taylor house, would be putting it lightly. Randy was standing near the back, so that she wouldn't see him right away, and he could've sworn he'd actually seen her fall back a little when her entire family, Randy's entire family, and several of their friends from school popped up and yelled "SURPRISE!".

Jess looked even prettier than he remembered her being. She was wearing a pretty white sundress, and her long hair was hanging in curls again. He didn't fail to notice the star necklace still hung around her neck. She was smiling at everybody, but Randy noted that something about her was off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he just knew, something was wrong.

After ten minutes of casually hiding in the corner, Randy spotted Jess talking to Brad and Jenny, with her back turned to him.

Randy clamped his hands over her eyes, and whispered, "Guess who?"

Jess turned around so fast, Randy was amazed she didn't get whiplash. When she saw him, a smile broke onto her face, and she breathed, "Randy," Before throwing her arms around him.

Randy hugged her tightly, "Happy birthday, Jess."

"What are you _doing_ here?!" Jess' face was buried in Randy's shoulder and her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Well, I couldn't miss my best friend's birthday, could I?" Randy smiled into her hair.

"I thought you were staying in Costa Rica until the middle of June though!" Jess didn't completely release him, but she loosened her grip long enough to look at him.

"Well, I was, but the opportunity presented itself for me to come home early," Randy explained, "I had to take it."

"I'm so happy you did!" Jess hugged him again, "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too," Randy said softly, "But I'm back for good now, there's no getting rid of me."

"I wouldn't want to get rid of you, that would be stupid." Jess informed him.

"Good to know," Randy smiled slightly, and the two released one another.

After chatting amicably for a few minutes, Jenny and Brad dragged Jess off to get her to open their present, and Randy wandered aimlessly, until he found his other neighbor, Wilson, sitting down on the couch. Randy walked up to him, "Is this seat taken?"

"Hi-de-ho, Taylor lad!" Wilson greeted, "Welcome back from Costa Rica! Take a seat!"

Randy sat down next to Wilson, and Wilson said, "How was your time down South?"

"It was good, I learned a lot," Randy nodded, "How have things been at home?"

"Same as always, same as always," Wilson nodded.

"So, um, Wilson, you remember how we had that talk about Jess before I left for Costa Rica?"

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm," Wilson nodded.

"Yeah, well, I've thought about it a lot since I left," Randy nodded slowly, and glanced across the room at Jessica, who was laughing at something Mark had said to her. "I think I'm in love with her."

"Well!" This seemed to please Wilson immensely, "I have to say it's about time that you admitted that to yourself, Randy!"

"How do you mean?" Randy was a little confused.

"Well, I hate to embarrass you, Randy, but your mother, Veronica and I have had a little bit of a poll going, seeing how long it was going to take for the two of you to realize that you have chemistry."

"Huh, nice to know," Randy remarked, shaking his head.

"So, I assume you're going to tell Jessica," Wilson said, looking at Randy expectantly.

"I don't know, Wilson," Randy sighed, "What if it ruins our friendship forever?"

"Well, Randy, I'm reminded of something a wise lady once told me," Wilson responded, "She told me "Wilson, sometimes the best romances are formed from best friendships"," He looked at Randy, "I tend to agree with her."

Randy nodded slowly, "How should I tell her?"

Wilson looked thoughtful, before saying, "I think the straightforward approach is the best idea, don't you?"

Randy watched Jess walking out the back door, to the patio, and then looked at Wilson, "Yeah, I think you're right. Thanks, Wilson."

* * *

Jess was sitting on the steps of the porch, staring up at the stars when Randy came out the back door.

"Hey," He greeted her, smiling faintly.

"Hey," Jess smiled, "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you, birthday girl." Randy grinned, "Mind if I sit here?"

"Yes, Randy, I _do_ mind, that you, my _best_ friend for the past thirteen years, want to sit next to me on my birthday, even though you've been gone for four months and I've missed you to the point of insanity," Jess rolled her eyes, "You can sit here."

Randy sat next to her, and they were both silent for a few moments, until Randy said, "Hey, look at that," He pointed to the walkway, and smiled slightly.

Jess looked down and found him looking at the handprints pressed into the cement, and she grinned, "I remember that." She let out a small sigh, "God, that seems like a lifetime ago."

"Eleven years ago _is_ a long time," Randy agreed.

"I mean, everything was so different then." Jess twisted one of her curls, "I didn't see everything that was going on with my parents, I didn't think my dad would leave, I never thought Jack would try to kill himself, I didn't think my dad would die before he was 50, I never thought that you'd leave for seven months," She shook her head, "It's just a lot of things changed since then."

"That's life, Jess," Randy said, looking at her, and taking her hand, "We win some, we lose some, right?"

Jess nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right." She shook her head again, "I just never thought things were going to change this much."

"Well, I'm sure one day, when we're old and gray, we'll look back on all this and it might make sense." Randy said, nodding slowly.

"Yeah, maybe." Jess toyed with her star necklace.

"You're still wearing that thing?" Randy asked, grinning at her.

"Mm-hmm," Jess nodded, and glanced down at it, before looking back at him, "It makes me think of you." The two locked eyes before Jess looked down at her flip-flops, returned to toying with her necklace.

"Jessica," Randy broke the silence, and took a deep breath, "There's so much I want to say to you, but I don't know how to say a lot of it."

Jess looked at him, and then squeezed his hand, "Take your time, Randy, we have a lot of it." And then she looked back at her feet.

"Jess, you see, the thing is," He took another deep breath, "I love you."

Stunned, Jess stared at him for a few moments, before saying, "What did you just say?"

"I love you, Jessica," Randy's voice was weak, "And I understand if you don't feel the same way, but I just… I have to tell you, because I feel like if I don't… we could be missing out on something really amazing and extraordinary." He paused, and then said it again, "I love you."

"Randy," Jess was blinking rapidly, "What about Lauren?"

"Lauren?" Randy repeated. It took him a few moments to even place who Lauren was, "Lauren Weiss? What about her?"

"Aren't you, you know… dating her, or something?" Jess looked down at her feet.

Randy shook his head, "No way. That wouldn't be fair."

"How so?" Jess looked confused.

"Because, Jess," Randy hesitated, and then said, "Lauren isn't you. And, for me, Jessica? It's always been you."

Jess was crying, and Randy worried he'd done something to upset her, when she said, "Oh, God, Randy… I love you too."

Randy felt as though his heart could burst, he felt so happy, "Really?"

Jess nodded, "Really."

Randy wrapped her in a hug, and hugged her as though he was never going to let her go.

"You know," Jess' voice was muffled in Randy's shoulder, "Just because you said I love you, it doesn't exempt you from giving me a birthday present."

Randy started laughing, and Jess loosened her grip on him enough to look up at him, "I'm serious."

"Believe me, I know," He leaned his head down and kissed her softly, "I love you, Jessica James."

When they broke apart, Jess' eyes were closed, as though she was saving a memory, and she said, "I like how that sounds."

"That's good," Randy nodded, "Because I'm going to be saying it for a long, _long_ time."

"I like the sound of _that_ too," Jess smiled, and kissed him again, before saying, "Because I love you too.

**THE END.**

******

**Aww :) I loved writing this chapter, it just made me feel happy inside :) SO, this is the end of the first story. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed and read, a special thank you to _Randy Taylor, Baxxie, Home Improvement Lover _who have been reading this from the very beginning, and to everyone else, still a big huge thank you! Now, as for the sequel, I'm not sure what I want to do, so if you have ideas, be sure to tell me! I'll post an author's note on this story once I figure everything out, so that everyone can know the title and such :) Thank you guys, again, and please be sure to review, and keep your eyes peeled for the sequel! :)**

**xx,**

**Cate  
**


	18. AUTHORS NOTE :

**AUTHORS NOTE! :)**

**So, I'm not entirely sure where I want to go with the sequel, but I do know that the title will be _My Girl_, and it will be up within the next few days.**

**But because of the fact that I have no clue what I want to do yet, I'm going to be posting a poll on my profile,**

**SO PLEASE VOTE, AND PM ME WITH IDEAS :)**

**Thank you again for all the amazing reviews, they rock :)**

**Lots of love,**

**Cate  
**


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